Tokyo Little Shop
by CosmicTwilightEmi
Summary: An anime re-telling of Little Shop of Horrors set in present day Tokyo. This story is based off of all incarnations, rated T due to dark moments, language from the antagonists, and mild sexual situations but K-plus otherwise. All of the chapters were pre-written back in 2010 and completed in 2011.
1. The Plant from Outer Space

_My name is Kazama Shohei. I am 15 years old, and I recently became a sophomore at high school. A couple of weeks ago, I started helping out at the local flower shop to keep its business afloat, or it will close for good tomorrow. But it wasn't just me, there was also Momokawa Hikari, the kindest person that you'll ever meet. 2 days ago, her father was presumed dead in a yacht accident on a stormy afternoon, and she and her mother are suffering because their vast amount of wealth was going down the gutter. However, once these 3 days pass, something tells me it will change everything..._

**THE PLANT FROM OUTER SPACE**

_One day at the flower shop, a man comes in._

"Hello, I would like to purchase some carnations," the man said.  
>"Right away!" said Hikari.<p>

_Hikari picks out a bunch of carnations and wraps them._

"That'll be 600 yen."  
>"Sold!" the man said.<p>

_The man pays for his carnations, picks one out, and eats it. Hikari sweat-drops at this._

"Um... bon appetit, then?" Hikari queries.  
>"You bet! I like how they're grown this time!" the man said in enthusiasm.<br>"Have a nice day, sir."  
>Shohei comes in as he sweeps the floor and asks, "How much money did we acquire today?"<br>Hikari replied, "Well, so far, 600 from a man who wanted a snack, 1,200 from a lady whose husband died recently, and 200 from a man trying to impress a girl."  
>"Well, at least it's better than yesterday," Shohei said.<p>

_The owner, Mr. Sonoda comes in._

"So, how much did we rake in today?" Sonoda asked.  
>Shohei replied, "Only 2,000 yen."<br>"... 2,000 yen? 2,000 YEN?! Excellent!" Sonoda exclaimed in frustration.  
>"Are you okay?" Shohei asked.<br>"For the past week, we've been getting very little money!" Sonoda shouted.  
>"Yes, but we helped get a little more than before these days," said Hikari.<br>"Face the facts, children, the flower shop is dead. Gone forever..." said Mr. Sonoda, much to the dismay of his teen employees.  
>"No!"<br>"Mr. Sonoda, sir, don't say such things!" said Shohei.  
>"Still your tongue, Kazama! Your clumsiness is part of why business is crap!" snaps Sonoda.<br>"Don't blame Shohei; he can't help it if he's awkward!" said Hikari.  
>Mr. Sonoda sighs and says, "Both of you, leave for the day immediately, no arguments."<p>

_As the sun was setting, Shohei and Hikari headed home._

"I can't believe the flower shop is closing tomorrow. Everything in there smelled so wonderful..." Shohei laments.  
>"And they were breath-takingly beautiful..." said Hikari.<p>

_They reach a mansion. You should know at this point that Hikari lives there._

"Well, Shohei, I guess I'll see you soon."  
>"Good night, Hikari."<p>

_Shohei walks home. When he got there, his dog Inumaru tackled him to the ground and licked his face._

"Hey, Inumaru! Nice to see you, too!" Shohei said with laughter.

_When Shohei went inside, his mom just finished making dinner. It was his favourite, ramen. That time, miso ramen with firm noodles, complete with a naruto. He's a bit down in the dumps, but he still has the appetite._

"How was your day?" Shohei's mother asked.  
>"A bit better than yesterday," Shohei said with a sigh.<br>"Oh that's right, the flower shop is closing tomorrow evening. That's a shame; I often have this woman over for tea. Members of her family drop off like flies, and she always goes there to buy flowers."  
>"Did you trip and drop those pots again, oneesan?" Shohei's kid sister Reiko asked.<br>"That's none of your business, Reiko!" Shohei replied as he gets up and takes his ramen. "If you excuse me, I'll be eating in the den."

_With that, Shohei goes to the den._

"With that attitude, no wonder the flower shop is going out of business," snarked Reiko.  
>"Now now, Reiko, let your brother have some time alone, okay?"<br>"Nobody takes a joke around here..."

_Shohei sits down on a chair and eats his dinner. As Inumaru comes in, Shohei turns on the T.V.. The news was on._

"For 7 years tomorrow, scientists have been watching a huge asteroid, and on that day, it's heading towards Earth."  
>Shohei, being smart enough to know about that kind of stuff, says, "Hopefully burning up in the atmosphere, right?"<br>"There is a small chance that it may not burn up in the atmosphere."  
>"WHAT?!" Shohei exclaimed in shock.<br>"Scientists also predict a solar eclipse tomorrow at 12:05, around the same time as the asteroid's arrival. Odds of this planet being destroyed are 1 in 5, which may sound like a small chance, but still, pray for the best."  
>With anime tear lines comically streaming down his face, Shohei says, "Great. This might be my last day on Earth, and I never even got my first kiss from Hikari! It's all over."<p>

_Inumaru whimpers in response. Later that night, Shohei gets ready for bed and looks out the window above his bed to see a star._

"Oh wishing star, if the asteroid does break up, which it will most likely do, then I wish that there was a way to save the flower shop."

_Shohei then goes to sleep. Meanwhile in space, the star that Shohei wished on was actually the asteroid, which is getting closer towards Earth..._

* * *

><p><em>The next day at school, Hikari was sitting outside in the schoolyard, sighing.<em>

"It's bad enough that Mama and I are suffering without Daddy. I can't believe the world has a 20% chance of ending."  
>Shohei shows up, and greets Hikari with a "Hi".<br>"Hi, Shohei."  
>"It's lunchtime now, so how about if we have our last meal together before we possibly die?"<br>"I suppose."

_The two of them proceeded to eat their box lunches. And then, the eclipse occurs. Everything darkened. Then, the asteroid came, with a strange green glow surrounding it. Upon reaching Earth's atmosphere, it DID break up, but into really, really small fragments. The rainbow-glowing fragments showered all over Tokyo. Shohei and Hikari were surprised._

"Thank you, 80%!" said Shohei.  
>"I'm so relieved, and the sight of these pieces of the asteroid raining down on Tokyo is beautiful."<br>"It sure is."

_Meanwhile, a fragment of the asteroid with a pretty, green glow falls into the soil in the pot of a sickly-looking butter-wort/Venus flytrap hybrid. When the shard sank into the soil, the plant stood erect and made a grin._

* * *

><p><em>Later that day, school has ended. Shohei and Hikari part ways as they head home. As Shohei headed back to his house...<em>

"AAAIIIYYAAA~!"

_The exclamation came from a Chinese man in his 50's. Shohei rushed to his shop._

"Mr. Chang, what's wrong?!"  
>"Oh, nothing, little boy who works at my good friend's shop!"<br>Shohei angrily thought to himself, "Little? Somebody is calling the kettle black here!"  
>"This strange plant I cross-pollinated from a butter-wort and a Venus flytrap, it was sickly for a while, until today!"<br>"Wow... how much for this plant?"  
>"You want to buy it?"<br>"Yes! It might attract customers and save the flower shop!"  
>"Hmm... tell you what, I'll sell this to you for 200 yen!"<br>"Deal!"

_With that, Shohei buys the plant at a cheap price and rushes to the flower shop, which was about to be demolished by a wrecking crew._

A mourning Mr. Sonoda says, "Well, little shop, you've been good to me for the past 30 years, but now, it's time to say goodbye."  
>One of the wrecking crew guys says, "Okay boys, we tear this shop down in 5... 4... 3... 2-"<br>"WAIT!"

_Shohei arrives at the scene with the plant in his hands._

"Don't tear down the shop! I have something that'll attract customers! This plant, I dubbed Hikari II!"

_A bunch of people take a good look at the plant and are astonished._

"Where did you get this Hikari II?" Sonoda asks.  
>"From Mr. Chang, sir."<br>"Ah, excellent, my good friend saves my hide again."

_And so, that strange and interesting plant has attracted customers into buying flowers. A man buys 5,000 yen worth of roses, but he had a 10,000 yen bill, and given Mr. Sonoda's miserly nature, the man buys twice as many. Meanwhile, Hikari goes home and to her room. She stares out her window and sees what was expected as a demolition, to be a clamoring crowd outside the flower shop instead._

"What the... ?"

_Hikari leaves her house and heads toward the flower shop when she trips over a vivid-colored shard._

"Oww... huh? What is this thing? It looks like what showered from the sky earlier," Hikari says as she picks up the shard. "This might save me and mama from the poor house. I better put this away."

_Hikari places the shard in her bag and resumes her trek towards the shop. When she got there, everyone was gone._

"What happened?"  
>"Hi, Hikari! I bought this plant from Mr. Chang to save the shop, and the next thing I know, everybody's purchasing flowers left and right!" Shohei said.<br>"Astounding! What's that cute little thing called?"  
>"It's called... Hikari II..." Shohei said with a blush.<br>"You named it... after me? How sweet!"  
>"Hehe, yes I sure did! Ha ha!"<p>

_As our story closes, 3 colorful women appear in the foreground. The red and blue colored ones had fair skin, but the blonde one had tan skin._

"Hello! I'm Ronette!" the red one greeted.  
>"Salutations. My name is Crystal," the blue one greeted.<br>"And I'm Chiffon!" the yellow one greeted."  
>"So, now the story has begun," said Ronette. "Shohei buys a strange plant..."<br>"Hikari can now live wealthy again after finding that shard..." said Crystal.  
>"And business is booming at the flower shop!" said Chiffon.<br>"But this is only the beginning, so come back sometime for what happens next!" they said in unison.


	2. Life Energy

**LIFE ENERGY**

_It was a good day at the flower shop. Business was booming since Hikari II showed up. Shohei would take some flowers, Hikari would wrap them up, the customer would get his/her flowers, and Mr. Sonoda would get his/her money and put it in the register. Later that day, work hours were over, and the shop raked in a lot of money._

"Excellent! We raked in a lot of money today!" exclaimed Sonoda.  
>"And it's all thanks to Shohei!"<br>"No, don't thank me, thank Hikari II for being the main attraction!"  
>"Let's celebrate! Dinner's on me!" said Sonoda as Hikari steps out with him.<br>"Wait up for me, guys! I have to take Hikari II home and tend to... AAAAHHH!"  
>Hikari comes back in with Sonoda and asks, "Are you okay, Shohei? Why are you screa... oh no."<br>"What is it? A spider? What's the big... OH MY GOD!"

_Oh the horror! Hikari II was wilting!_

"My... my plant!"  
>"My goodness!"<br>"My shop! It's going to have slow business again! Kazama, take that thing home and tend to it immediately!" Sonoda demanded.  
>"Yes sir!"<p>

_Shohei ran home with the plant in his backpack and went to his room. He takes the plant out of his backpack and places it on his desk._

"Oh boy, this is not good! If you die, the flower shop will lose it's main attraction. The flower shop will be torn down! And worst of all, I may lose Hikari... No! I can't lose the girl I love! I got to do something!"

_Shohei waters Hikari II. Nothing happened. He then re-pots it. Still nothing._

"Drats! Nothing's working! Maybe if I sing! Plants can respond to music!"

_When you can't see the forest, because there's too many trees..._

"... Not even music can get you to react? It's over..." He sobs as he places his hand on the plant. "I can't save this plant!"

_As Shohei laments over the plant, a glow surrounds his hand and the plant stands erect once more. As he wipes away a few tears, a gruff, high-pitched voice spoke to him._

"Hey crybaby, what's wrong?"  
>"Huh? Who said that?"<br>"Down here!"  
>"Where?"<br>"ON THE DESK, YOU IDIOT!" the voice screeched.

_The voice in question belonged to the plant._

"Two-chan! You can talk!"  
>"Now I can, thanks to you."<br>"Me?"  
>"When you placed your hand on me, you've fed me some of your life energy."<br>"Life energy... am I going to die sooner?"  
>"No, you'll lose only a few minutes off of your life each time. With some yogurt and all that running, you gain plenty of time to your life expectancy. Since you seem to run a lot..."<br>Shohei, as he looks at his watch, says, "I got to go to dinner now. Take care! And don't make a habit out of this, or feed on other people's life energy, either!"  
>"No problem. Have a nice night!" the plant replied.<p>

* * *

><p><em>The next morning, Shohei was sound asleep in bed when Reiko calls him from downstairs.<em>

"Shohei! Wake up!"  
>"Zzz... Hikari..."<br>"Hey! Onee-san!"  
>"Shut up, ma!"<br>Annoyed, Reiko shouts, "BAKA-SHOHEI, WAKE UP, YOU'RE GOING TO BE LATE FOR SCHOOL!"  
>Shohei awakens with a snort. "What?" As he checks his clock, he screams, "Oh NO! I'm late!"<br>"Feed me!" said Hikari II.  
>"Not now, Two-chan, I'm late for school!"<br>"C'mon! I'll die if you don't!"  
>"But the teacher will kill me if I... " Shohei pauses and notices a change in the plant. "Wow, you've started to bud!"<br>"Nice observation! Now feed me!"  
>"Okay."<p>

_Shohei "feeds" Hikari II._

"Hey, what gives?! It's less filling than before!"  
>"I just woke up! And not for nothing, but I'm hungry, too! Come to think of it, I'll take you with me!"<p>

_Shohei, with toast in mouth, dashes off to school. When he got there, his friends were at the entrance._

"Shohei, what happened?" Daisuke, the freckled one asked.  
>"You've never been late before!" said Makoto, the big, chubby one with the nasally voice.<br>"I was up all night, tending to the plant," said Shohei.  
>"Wow, you really are dedicated to plants these days," said Natsumi, the redheaded girl.<br>"It's in my backpack right now, and don't worry, it's fine."  
>"Let me have a look," Hikari said as she peeks inside Shohei's backpack. "Wow, it's starting to bud! You must've worked really hard last night! Did you get any sleep?"<br>"Yeah."

_At this moment, Shohei yawns. Later in class, the teacher, Mrs. Tomizawa, was giving a lecture. While all of the students were awake, Shohei was asleep. Hikari, who was seated to his left, seemed a bit concerned._

"Shohei. Shohei!" Hikari whispered as she gently shakes Shohei.  
>"Zzz... mmm..."<br>"Shohei, wake up. The teacher is going to scold you! Wake up!" Hikari whispered as she continues to gently shake Shohei.  
>Mrs. Tomizawa says, "Miss Momokawa, is there something you'd like to share with us?"<br>"Um... no."  
>"Very good. Both of our honor students you and Mr. Sleepyhead here, should be PAYING ATTENTION!"<br>Shohei wakes up and exclaims, "Huh? Man the life boats! This ship is sinking fast!"

_The other students except for a worried Hikari stifle their laughter._

"Mr. Kazama, an explanation?"  
>"Oh, sorry, ma'am; I was up all night tending to my plant!"<br>"That is the worst excuse I've ever heard since the last 3 excuses made by a certain blue-haired kid with freckles."  
>"Hey, I resent that!" Daisuke shouted.<br>"Be quiet! Now, Mr. Kazama, you will go out in the hallway and hold these buckets of water until class is over."  
>"Aww..."<p>

_Later in the hall, Shohei was holding the buckets. He was quickly getting tired and collapsed to the floor, spilling the water. Mrs. Tomizawa checks on him._

"Mr. Kazama?"

_There's no response._

"Oh dear..."

_At the nurse's office, Shohei was sleeping in a bed while Hikari speaks with the nurse._

"Is Shohei going to be okay?" Hikari asks the nurse.  
>"Miss Momokawa, it seems that Mr. Kazama might be working himself too hard," she said. "Kids his age shouldn't exhaust themselves like this. He'll be fine after a good night's sleep."<p>

_Later that day, Hikari was at the flower shop. Business is getting slightly better than before despite Shohei's absence._

"He's overworked? Is that why he can't come in today? Who's going to sweep the floor?" Sonoda said.  
>"But the shop is clean right now."<br>"I don't care; Kazama's got to be back here soon, or the place will have slow days, or worse, be covered in dust!"

_Later, after work was done, Hikari heads to Shohei's house to visit. When she got there, she rings the doorbell, which Mrs. Kazama answers._

"Who is it?"  
>"It's Momokawa Hikari. I'm here to return the plant to Shohei!"<br>"Come right inside! I just made tea!"

_Hikari goes inside and takes off her shoes. She goes upstairs and knocks on Shohei's door. Shohei, who is bedridden in his room, responds._

Shohei weakly moaned, "Who is it?"  
>"It's Hikari!"<br>"Come right in!" Shohei said, blushing with enthusiasm.  
>Hikari comes in, places Hikari II on the nightstand, and says, "You forgot the plant."<br>"Aww, no... I can't feed it anymore!" Shohei cried as he lays back down.  
>"I beg your pardon?"<br>"Well, it's kind of a funny story..."  
>"Funny? Venus flytraps eat flies, beetles, and meat like steak or hamburger!"<br>Shohei said to himself, "Flies... beetles... hamburger?" A light bulb appears above his head as he exclaims, "Oh yeah!"  
>"Sometimes I worry about you..." Hikari said with a sweat drop.<br>"Care to stay a while? My mom makes really good tea."  
>"Sure!"<p>

* * *

><p><em>Downstairs in the den, Hikari and Mrs. Kazama were having tea.<em>

"So, my little Shohei was tired from tending to this Hikari II?"  
>"Yes."<br>"Well, I think I might be responsible," a voice said.

_The voice belonged to a businessman that looked like an older version of Shohei, except with black hair and brown eyes like Reiko._

"Kazuki, you're back already?" said Mrs. Kazama.  
>"Just for a little break as usual, Minami," said Mr. Kazama as he sat down on the couch next to his wife. "That'll be enough time for me to spend some time with Shohei once he recovers. But even though it pays well, I still kinda regret agreeing to travel on business time after time..."<p>

_A flashback starts. An 8 year old Shohei and his father have a talk at the doorway._

Shohei said, "But you said we could go to the park today, dad!"  
>"Sorry Shohei, but my boss gave me a promotion, and traveling on business is a part of it," his father said. He adds, "Also, you have a baby sister now, and I need to support this family."<br>"Are you going to come back when it's over?"  
>"Well, just for special occasions."<p>

_Shohei and his father hug each other._

"Goodbye, dad."  
>"Goodbye, son."<p>

_As the flashback ends, Mr. Kazama pets Inumaru on the head._

"I guess my work ethic must have rubbed off on him."  
>"I can see that too, honey," said Mrs. Kazama. "Would you like some tea?"<br>"Oh, Minami, you always know what I want first thing!"

_Shohei's parents laugh with each other._

"All you need is a good night's rest now, Shohei..." Hikari thought to herself.

* * *

><p><em>The next day, Shohei wakes up, fully recharged.<em>

Shohei yawn and stretched, saying, "Man, that felt good."  
>"Feed me!" said Hikari II.<br>"Sure! I'll find some dead flies."  
>"Flies?"<p>

_Seconds later, Hikari II was eating some dead flies and seems to enjoy them._

"Hey, these flies are scrumptious! What else should I be eating?"  
>"Beetles and meat."<br>"Well, if beetles are as good as flies, I can thrive on these instead of your life energy. I probably should've mentioned that you get a little tired and drained when you give me your life energy."  
>"I know. Maybe I should give you a little bit once in a blue moon. Now get in my backpack and I'll drop you off at the flower shop on the way to school!"<p>

_With that, Shohei runs off to school with a piece of toast in his mouth._


	3. The Dentist

**The Dentist**

_One day at the Kazama residence, Shohei was feeding Hikari II some flies and beetles._

"More! I want some more flies and beetles!"  
>"Sit tight, I'll find some more!"<p>

_Shohei leaves his bedroom. Reiko sneaks in seconds later._

"Hehehe... time to have some fun in oneesan's room!" Reiko giggled to herself.  
>Hikari II thought to itself, "Uh-oh, it's Shohei's larval sister Reiko. She better not mess with even one spore on me..."<br>"Hey Hikari II, how are you doing? Can I take a look at you?"

_Hikari II nearly bites Reiko's hand off, but she gets her hand out of the way right before it got the chance._

"I guess that means no, huh?"

_Reiko looks around and sees Shohei's diary._

"Hey, I found Shohei-oneesan's diary!" Reiko said as she picks it up to read. "Day 10, Month 7. It was hot today. I went to the water park with my sister Reiko. Hikari was wearing a cute new swimsuit, and she looked so attractive in it... Gee, oneesan, all you ever think about is Hikari!"  
>"That's not true!" a voice shouted.<p>

_Reiko got startled and realizes that Shohei was at the door._

"Oneesan!"  
>"You're not supposed to be looking at my diary! Now get out before I tell mom that you broke that lamp last Tuesday!"<br>"All right, all right! You're so lame when you tell me what to do!" said Reiko as she walked out.

_With Reiko gone, Shohei goes over to Hikari II._

"Little sisters, huh, Two-chan?"  
>"I don't know, because I don't have any. Now where's my food, because I'm starving!"<br>Just then, Shohei's mother called, "Shohei, can you come downstairs for a minute?"  
>"Coming, mom!"<p>

_As Shohei leaves the room, Hikari II eats the bugs he placed on the desk._

"Mmm... a nice blend of dry and juicy."

_Meanwhile, downstairs..._

"What is it?"  
>"I'm going to Mrs. Kotsuzuka's for a game of mahjong and some tea."<br>"The lady whose family members are dropping off like flies?"  
>"Yes. Her little boy Taro got 3rd-degree burns playing with matches."<br>"That's terrible!"

_Meanwhile in the den, Reiko eavesdrops._

"Yes!" Reiko cheered as quietly as possible.  
>"Kazama Reiko, I heard that!" said mom. "Come out here!"<br>"Me and my big mouth..."

_Reiko comes out and meets up with the others._

"Third-degree burns are nothing to cheer about, young lady."  
>"But Taro is SO ANNOYING! He's always picking on us at school!"<br>"That's enough. Now then, Shohei, while I'm visiting Mrs. Kotsuzuka, you will be babysitting Reiko."  
>"But I can't babysit Reiko today!" said Shohei. "I planned on visiting Hikari today!"<br>"Sorry Shohei, but my decision is final. Oh, and today, Reiko's going to the dentist."  
>"THE DENTIST?!" Shohei and Reiko shouted in unison.<p>

* * *

><p><em>At the dentist's office, screams can be heard as the Kazama siblings sit in the waiting room.<em>

"Oh boy, I hope I'm next! I, Midorikawa Akira, enjoy coming here!" a man said in delight.  
>"Dr. Haru. Oh my God, he scares me! He gets pleasure out of his patients' pain! Luckily, I don't get to see that creep!" said Shohei.<br>The nurse comes in and she said, "Kazama Reiko, you are next."  
>"Aww..." said Akira in disdain.<p>

_Reiko nervously steps into the room. Dr. Haru turns around and smiles._

"Why, hello, little girl, do you remember me? I am Dr. Haru, D.D.S. Ever since I started dentistry, I hated it, but then, when that boy got his first check-up from me when you were still a baby, I learned to get pleasure from other peoples' pain. Boy, was he nervous!"  
>"So am I!"<br>"But enough talk, Reiko, let's take a look into your pretty little mouth..."

_Dr. Haru examines Reiko's teeth._

"Well Reiko, it seems your teeth are... exceptional! Somebody's been taking good care of them."  
>"Really? That was close..."<br>"What?"  
>"Nothing."<p>

_Reiko skips out of the dentist office._

"How did it go, Reiko?" asked Shohei.  
>"See, oneesan? My teeth are perfect!" Reiko said as she flashes a big smile.<br>"Yeah, they sure are! Good job!"

_Just then, Dr. Haru appears, startling Shohei._

"Ah, Shohei! Let me see your teeth."  
>"Um... but I took good care of them!"<br>"Who is the dentist here?" Dr. Haru said as he checks the inside of Shohei's mouth. "Hmm... well Shohei, it seems your teeth are... in good condition! But! You have a wisdom tooth that needs to be plucked out."  
>"WHAT?! But I haven't felt any pain in it yet!"<br>"Silence! I am a dentist! Let's pluck it out immediately!"

_Shohei runs off with Reiko right behind him. Dr. Haru chases after them._

"Come back here! Nobody runs away from Dr. Haru and gets away with it!"

_As the siblings run as far away as possible, they managed to get away._

Between panting, Shohei said, "Oh good, he hasn't caught up to us yet. Let's try to keep going while we still have the chance..."

_As the siblings continue to run, Shohei accidentally bumps into someone and his glasses fly off._

"My glasses!" Shohei cried as he falls to his knees and searches. "Where are they? Everything is a blur!"  
>"There you go, oneesan!" Reiko said as she gives Shohei his glasses.<br>As Shohei puts his glasses back on, he apologizes, "Sorry about bumping into..." he pauses to stare in fear. "..you."

_The person Shohei bumped into was a biker with minty green eyes and dark brown hair in the shape of a shark fin._

In a menacing tone, the biker asked, "Who dares bump into the man known as Samekiba Orin?"  
>Shohei cried, "I said I was sorry! Please don't hurt me! Or my sister!"<br>"Wow, he's scary, Shohei!" said Reiko.  
>"I'll show you little worms what scary really is! Ha ha ha ha ha!"<p>

_As Shohei and Reiko resumed running, Orin chases them down on his motorcycle._

"I'm going to be killing two little birds with one big motorcycle!"

_The siblings ran as fast as they could. They eventually make it to Hikari's mansion after managing to get away from Orin._

"That was close!" Shohei said as he pants and rang Hikari's doorbell. Her mother answers.  
>"Hello?"<br>"This is Kazama Shohei. I'm with my sister Reiko. May we come inside?"  
>"Sure."<p>

_The doors to the mansion open and the siblings go inside and take off their shoes._

"Wow, Hikari is LOADED!" said Reiko.  
>"How nice of you two to visit!" said Hikari's mother.<br>"Same here," said Shohei. "Now can we go see your daughter?"  
>"Of course! Hikari, your friend Shohei is here to see you!"<p>

_Just then, Shohei winces a little as he places his hand on his left cheek._

"Ow..."  
>"Are you okay, oneesan?" Reiko asked.<br>"Yeah, I'm okay," Shohei lied. He thought, "Oh no, Dr. Haru might have a point after all..."

* * *

><p><em>In Hikari's room, the kids were drinking tea on a kotatsu as they had a conversation.<em>

"So, you came here because the dentist wanted to pluck out your wisdom tooth despite the lack of pain?" asked Hikari.  
>"Yes, that's why I- ow! That's why I came here."<br>"Shohei, are you all right?"  
>"It's nothing."<br>"I remember years ago, I knew someone who was afraid of seeing him," said Hikari. "He never came back since and brushed his teeth excessively for a week."  
>Reiko pondered, "Hmm... why does it sound so familiar?"<p>

_Just then, a motorcycle engine can be heard outside. Shohei peeks out the window to see Orin on his motorcycle! And Dr. Haru held on!_

"Oh no! It's him! And that biker!"

_Shohei could only peek out the window in fear, but he manages to push it open and he falls out and lands in the shrubbery._

"Shohei, are you all right?!" cried Hikari.

_Hikari and Reiko rush downstairs and outside to get to Shohei._

"Shohei!"  
>"Don't worry, the bush cushioned the impact of my body!... Gah, I can't lie anymore; my tooth HURTS!"<br>"Shohei! There is nowhere left to run." said Dr. Haru. "First, I will pluck out that wisdom tooth..."  
>"...and then I'll run you over with my motorcycle until you are completely fla..." Orin pauses to see Hikari. "Oh, what do we have here?"<br>"Huh?"  
>"You're a very cute little girl, aren't you? Why spend your time with him when you could be with a big, strong man like me, Samekiba Orin?"<br>Disgusted, Hikari says, "Um... uh... Shohei, HELP!"  
>"All right, that's it! How dare you talk to Hikari that way?!" Shohei says as he gets up and confronts Orin.<br>"That's right! You're disgusting!" said Reiko.  
>"2 against 1? This is not fair even though I'm bigger than both of you! I'm getting out of here! And don't think this is the last time we meet!"<p>

_Orin leaves on his motorcycle._

Dr. Haru said, "Now then, Mr. Kazama, come with me."

* * *

><p><em>Back at the dentist's office, Dr. Haru plucks out Shohei's wisdom tooth, causing him to scream in pain.<em>

"Oh, yes! I've wanted to hear that cry of pain once more!" Dr. Haru screamed in delight. "Thank you, Shohei! Now, I'm going to retire from dentistry and become a surgeon!"

_With that, Dr. Haru runs off laughing giddily. Like he said, he retires from dentistry and became a surgeon, still causing pain for his patients. His replacement was none other than Orin from earlier, who causes more pain than Haru did. However, only one patient enjoys this..._

"All right, who's next?" said Orin.  
>"Me, Midorikawa Akira, I'm next!" Akira exclaimed in excitement.<br>"All right..." said Orin as he sweat-drops.


	4. Burger World

_One night at the jailhouse, a jailbreak ensues._

"Stop them! They're escaping!" a guard shouted.

_The prison guards try to stop 3 escapees, but they get beaten up by them. One had a flowing black mullet and reddish brown eyes. One was really tall and had auburn hair with long bangs covering his eyes. And one was the opposite sex of the other two, with magenta hair and blue eyes._

"We did it! We've successfully escaped! Orin-sempai is going to be so proud!" the escapee with the mullet said.  
>"Duh, we are great!" said the dumb tall escapee.<br>"We aren't out of the woods yet, boys; security is tight," said the female escapee.

_As more guards try to surround the escapees, Orin busts in on his motorcycle._

"ORIN-SEMPAI!" the escapees exclaimed.  
>"Piranha, Unagi, Sango! Hop on, quick!"<p>

_The gang ride off on the motorcycle._

"You know, it's funny," said Orin. "I usually have to go in there and bust all of you out, but you 3 managed to do it by yourselves. I'm proud!"  
>"Yeah, we're great!" said Piranha.<br>"Duh, we are the greatest!" said Unagi.  
>"How about a kiss for further good fortunes, Orin-sempai?" asked Sango.<br>"Huh?"  
>"Nothing."<p>

_The motorcycle rides off into the night._

**BURGER WORLD**

_The next day at the flower shop, it's almost noon. Shohei was outside, sweeping. He was concerned about Hikari, who hasn't been at the flower shop in 3 days._

"This is the third day in a row where Hikari didn't show up for work. I haven't seen much of her in school, either..." Shohei thought to himself. "I miss her so much, that I can see her in the clouds... I can also see Two-chan up there, too... and... some food..."

_Shohei saw some clouds shaped like an apple, a chicken drumstick, and an ice cream cone. He swallows some of his saliva in reaction._

Shohei says to himself, "Sigh, I can't have a lunch break after I slacked off in the last one, but I'm starving!" He asks his boss, "Mr. Sonoda, can I take a lunch break?"  
>"No; keep sweeping!" Mr. Sonoda ordered.<p>

_Shohei, much to his dismay, resumes sweeping... for 5 seconds, and heads off to the ramen shop, only to find it crowded._

"Drats! The ramen shop is packed..." Shohei laments as his stomach starts rumbling. "I gotta find somewhere to eat before I possibly starve to death..."

_Shohei comes across a crepe stand. Thankfully, there wasn't as many people, and he was next in line._

"One crepe, please."  
>"Sorry, you're a little late there," said the lady running the stand. "We're sold out."<br>"Not here, too..."

_Shohei comes across a fast food restaurant called Burger World. He goes inside and a waitress comes up to him._

"Hello, welcome to- Shohei?!"

_The waitress was Hikari!_

"Hikari! So this is where you went those past 3 days!"  
>"Shohei, please don't look at me like that."<br>"What do you mean? I'm so happy to see you after such a long time!"  
>"Listen, you CAN'T let Mr. Sonoda know I'm here!"<br>"Don't worry, I won't tell anyone."  
>"Good, now please, leave before he finds out."<br>"Can I grab a bite to eat first?"  
>"No time! Leave now!" Hikari whispers.<br>"But the ramen shop was crowded and the crepe stand is sold out, so I came here, and..."

_Shohei's stomach growls before he could elaborate._

"..."  
>"S-sorry. You're hungry, so I guess you can stay a while, as long you keep this all a secret," said Hikari.<br>"Deal."

* * *

><p><em>Later at a table, Shohei appears to have eaten 2 orders. His belly bulges slightly out of his shirt.<em>

"I guess I was more hungry than I thought," Shohei said sheepishly.  
>"Look at you; you look like a squirrel getting ready for winter!" said Hikari with a giggle.<br>"So Hikari, why are you working here? What about the flower shop?"  
>"Well, I recently felt that I wasn't being paid enough, which is funny since I AM rich. When Mama knew this, she suggested that I could work here."<br>"That's not like you. You're usually a sweet person, and I don't complain if he doesn't pay us. Besides, I miss you."  
>"Well, they're looking for a new fry cook. Want to join the Burger World nakama (fellowship)?"<br>"Well..."

_Later, back at the flower shop, Shohei comes up with a lie._

"Your plant is sick?" Mr. Sonoda asks.  
>"Uh... yeah."<br>"But it looks pretty healthy."  
>Hikari II thought to itself, "That's my cue," and wilted with a moan.<br>"Oh my God, it really is sick! _Excellent!_ How long do you think it'll take to nurse it back to health?"  
>"I don't know. It could take days, maybe even weeks."<br>"You have until the end of the week! And I doubt that people will come to my shop without it's main attraction. Maybe I should make offers, but that'll rake in less money."  
>"Try it anyways! See you next week!"<p>

_As Shohei and Hikari walk home, they have a little chat._

"Sick plant? Good one," Hikari laughed. "I told him that my poodle Charlotte was sick."  
>"Is she?"<br>"No, and neither is Hikari II."  
>"Let's hope not, or we'll both be kissing the flower shop goodbye!"<p>

_The two share a hearty laugh at that._

"Well, we're almost to your place, Hikari. I guess I'll see you at our new job tomorrow?"  
>"Yeah. Good night."<br>"You too."

_Later, in Shohei's room, he feeds the plant one of the free burgers._

"These things you humans call hamburgers are delicious!" said Hikari II after taking a bite.  
>"Just wait until you try one of the many that I'll make at my new job tomorrow!"<br>"You better; I bet they taste better than this one."

* * *

><p><em>The next day at Burger World, Shohei, in uniform, fries up a burger and flips it. As he flips it several times, Hikari II, placed near the sink, barks at him if it's done yet.<em>

"Are you done with that burger yet? I could eat horse meat!"  
>"Just about. I'm a bit nervous..." said Shohei as he finishes making the burger. As he placed it next to the plant, he continues. "If Mr. Sonoda finds out, he'll kill me. If he gets angry at me for being clumsy, just imagine what he'll do to me if he finds me working here!"<br>As Hikari II takes a bite, it says, "Wow, this is the best burger I've eaten! I think you put some of your life energy into making it."  
>"Shohei!" Hikari called. "We've got a lunch rush!"<br>"Oh, boy... I got this, Hikari!"

_A large group of customers put in orders. At mach speed, Shohei makes dozens of burgers, satisfying the clientele._

"Shohei, that was great!"  
>"Who knew that I had it in me?"<p>

_Suddenly... oh no! Mr. Sonoda is here to order something!_

"Hello, I would like to place an order for- Hikari?"  
>"Oh no."<br>"What are you doing working here?"  
>"I, um... SHOHEI!"<p>

_Shohei rushes over to Hikari and is shocked to see a stern Mr. Sonoda._

"So, Kazama, is your plant better?"  
>"... All right, I confess! It wasn't sick! Hikari and I quit working at your shop, and started working here to get more money!"<br>"You two should be ashamed for lying to me!"  
>"We're sorry for lying to you, Mr. Sonoda," said Hikari. "We needed to be paid more..."<br>"And I joined because I missed Hikari," Shohei adds.  
>"Hmm... I understand. I'll bring back lunch breaks, and I suppose I'll pay you two more as well."<br>"Thank you so much!" Shohei and Hikari cried in unison.  
>"Aww, how touching. It makes me want to throw up," a familiar voice spoke.<p>

_Orin and his gang were at the door._

"ORIN?!"  
>"I'm glad you both remember me. Meet my gang! Piranha!"<br>"I hunger for mayhem!"  
>"Unagi!"<br>"I like turtles!"  
>"Right... and Sango!"<br>"A-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha! Nice to meet the lot of you!"

_Everyone in the eatery panics._

"It's the Sharks! They would come by the flower shop to break the windows and trample on the flowers!"  
>"Don't forget eating them!" said Unagi.<br>"Now, hear this! We're holding everyone hostage and they will listen to our demands! If they don't, they get cut by my Katana!" said Orin.  
>"Hey! Weapons are not allowed here!" said Shohei.<br>"Shut up, you little twerp!" said Orin as he grabs Hikari. "Do as I say and get each of us a double burger with a side of fries and some beer!"  
>"W-we don't sell alcohol here," Shohei nervously said.<br>"Well then, get us some cola instead, and don't try anything funny, or else this girl gets sliced up!"  
>"Help me!" Hikari cried.<p>

_Shohei does what Orin says. He gives the Sharks their food, and as they wolf it down, Shohei sneaks back into the kitchen._

"This is bad, Two-chan! If I screw up, Orin'll kill Hikari! Help me, please!"  
>"Give me some more of your life energy! Fresh from the reserve!"<br>"Right!"

_Shohei places his hand on Hikari II and feeds it some life energy._

"Oh, yeah, that's the stuff!" said Hikari II, who then sprouts vines. "I'm growing vines! I think they might be long enough to extend and grab those creeps!"  
>"It's worth a shot!"<p>

_Shohei comes back out with the plant in his arms._

"Weird lettuce," said Unagi.  
>"That's not lettuce, dummy," said Sango. "It's a Venus flytrap!"<p>

_Hikari II unleashes its vines on Unagi and throws him across the room. It does the same thing to Piranha and Sango._

"Ow..." they said in unison.  
>"What the hell is this?" said Orin.<p>

_Hikari II grabs the Katana out of Orin's hand and chops the table in half._

As Orin flinches, he says, "Damn, you've got guts teaching your Venus flytrap to be your attack dog! Give me back my Katana and I'll leave with my flunkies!"  
>"Promise?" said Shohei.<br>"Yeah!"

_Orin gets his Katana back._

"Guys, let's get out of here!"

_The Sharks run off, and everyone cheers. Hikari gives Shohei a kiss on the cheek and he blushes. The next day, Shohei and Hikari got their jobs back at the flower shop._

"Excellent, I'm happy that you two are back to work here," said Mr. Sonoda.  
>"This is all I got after being fired from Burger World for property damage," said Shohei.<br>"It was actually the plant that did that. How did it do that?" Hikari asked.  
>"Let's just say that it's a secret ingredient in what I feed it!" Shohei said with a wink.<p> 


	5. Christmas

"It is snowing in Tokyo," Ronette said.  
>"Everyone is singing karaoke," Crystal said.<br>"And they're eating cake!" Chiffon said.  
>"In other words, it's CHRISTMAS!" they said in unison.<p>

_Christmas is right around the corner, and the flower shop employees get a well-deserved break at a hot springs with their closest friends. Since they are of opposite gender, a wall is put between the mens' side and the womens' side._

"Aaah~ I really needed a nice dip in a hot spring after working so hard," said Shohei in a content manner.  
>"Yow!" shouted Daisuke, who just got in. "It's so hot! And now... oh yes, that hits the spot!"<br>"I'm like a potato swimming in a delicious stew!" said Makoto.

_Just then, he notices something in the wall: a small hole. Shohei, whose sense of nobility is questionable on occasion due to being a hormone-addled teenager, peeks through it to watch Hikari bathe._

Shohei thought to himself as he blushes, "What am I doing? I shouldn't be watching Hikari bathe! And yet... she's so beautiful, I just can't look away..."

_All of a sudden, Natsumi's eye gets in the way._

"Hey, Peeping Tom! What are you staring at?" Natsumi said.  
>"N-nothing, Natsumi!" Shohei stuttered.<br>Hikari turns around and says, "Shohei?"  
>"He was watching you bathe!" said Natsumi.<br>"Please forgive me! I understand if you think I'm a pervert!" Shohei cried.  
>"I don't think of you as such, but please, never do that again. Did the other guys look, too?"<br>"No, because..."

_Shohei turns around and stares at Daisuke and Makoto._

"You saw NOTHING, guys," said Shohei. "And Daisuke, you are to say NOTHING about this moment, got it?"  
>"Shohei's right, Daisuke," said Makoto. "You tend to be the school blabbermouth."<br>"Shut up, Makoto!" Daisuke snaps. "I am not that bad a blabbermouth!"

_Daisuke then swims over and peeks through the hole to watch Natsumi bathe._

"Wow, Natsumi's got a nice figure!" said Daisuke.  
>Natsumi punches through the hole and says, "Hey Daisuke, pick two."<br>"Uh, okay. One, two."

_After choosing two of Natsumi's fingers, she pokes Daisuke in the eyes._

"Oww! That joke is older than Mr. Sonoda!"

* * *

><p><em>The next day at Shohei's house, Shohei, his sister, and his friends were putting up the tree and decorating it. The group finished the job nicely and celebrated by reading Christmas cards they have received.<em>

"Nice work, all of you..." said Mrs. Kazama. "Now, who wants some tea?..."

_There was a brief moment of silence when the phone rings._

"I'll get it, mom!" said Shohei.

_Shohei goes and answers the phone._

"Hello? Hey, dad! What? Oh no... talk to you later."

_Shohei comes back in with his head hanging low._

"Dad's going to be delayed until Christmas Eve."  
>"What?!" said Reiko. "That stinks!"<br>Hikari thought to herself, "Poor Shohei. No matter what, his dad will always be home for Christmas..." Tears start to well up in her eyes as she continued thinking, "Too bad Daddy can't be with us for any more Christmases..."  
>"Hikari?" said Shohei. "Are you okay?"<br>"Um... oh, would you look at the time? I really must be going! See you on Christmas Eve, everyone!"

_Hikari dashes out of the house. The other teens go outside and watch her as she goes._

"That's funny; Hikari usually loves Christmas as much as everyone else," said Natsumi.  
>"Should we go talk to her?" Daisuke asks.<br>"No, it looks like she needs to be left alone," said Shohei. He thinks, "Poor Hikari. Her dad was always around for Christmas, until that yacht accident earlier this year..."

_Meanwhile, Hikari dashes back to her mansion. She takes off her shoes and heads up to her room. Once she got there, she gets on to her bed and buries her face in a pillow to cry._

"I'm sorry, everyone..." Hikari thought through her tears.

_Later that night in Shohei's room, Shohei felt bad about earlier._

"Shohei, I'm hungry!" said Hikari II. "Feed me something!"  
>"I'm sorry, Two-chan. I just keep worrying about Hikari."<br>"Why?"  
>"Because this is her first Christmas without her dad. If I had lost someone, I would be sad, too. What should I do?"<br>"Hmm... maybe if you give Hikari the nicest gift ever, she'll feel better."  
>"That's it! I've been saving up all of my allowance, as well as the money I earned from working at the flower shop to buy her something special."<br>"How much did you save?"  
>"30,000 yen. With it, I'm going to buy Hikari a beautiful pink dress for Christmas."<br>"Fancy!"

* * *

><p><em>The next day, Christmas Eve came. Orin and his gang are in an abandoned warehouse, which is apparently their hangout.<em>

"Okay, today is Christmas Eve, which means it's our annual gift theft day. We will go to Tokyo and find something to steal for ourselves," said Orin. "This year, since I'm the new dentist, I plan to steal nitrous oxide."  
>"Unagi and I are going to steal some food," said Piranha.<br>"This year, I want to steal a beautiful dress," said Sango.  
>"Now that we've chosen our designated parcels, let's go!" said Orin.<p>

_The Sharks take off on their motorcycles into the city. Meanwhile, Shohei is at the department store, looking for the dress for Hikari when he comes across Daisuke._

"What brings you here, Daisuke?"  
>"Don't tell anyone, but I came here to buy Natsumi this brooch," Daisuke whispered as he shows an emerald brooch.<br>"Wow~ I-I came to buy Hikari a pink dress," Shohei whispers.  
>"Can I help you find it?"<br>"Sure."

_The two boys look for the pink dress when Daisuke appears to have found it._

"Aha!" said Daisuke. "Hikari's dress."  
>"You mean, Obaba (old lady)'s dress!" an old woman exclaims.<br>"Sorry ma'am, but my friend wants to buy this dress for someone special."  
>"Aww, does he have a sweetheart he wants to give this to?"<br>"It's not like that!" Shohei cried out with a blush.  
>"Well, too bad! It's my dress!"<br>"No way, it's my dress!" a fat woman exclaims.  
>"No it's mine!" a random housewife exclaims.<p>

_Daisuke struggles in a mob of women who would commit homicide to get that dress. In the end, he manages to give it to Shohei._

"Thank you so much, Daisuke!"  
>"No problem, now run!"<p>

_As Daisuke runs away from the mob of women chasing him, Shohei reaches the counter._

Shohei whispers, "I wish to purchase this dress."  
>"You have a girlfriend?" the saleswoman whispered.<br>Shohei blushes and says, "She's just a very close friend!"  
>"That'll be 30,000 yen!"<br>"Thank you! Can you gift wrap this?"  
>"Sure thing!"<p>

_Shohei finally purchases the dress. He exits the department store, humming happily as he carries the box under his arm._

"Once Christmas morning arrives, Hikari will be so happy when she sees this dress," Shohei thought to himself.

_Just then, he hears the roar of a motorcycle._

"Oh no, it's Orin!"

_Shohei tries to run to Hikari's mansion as fast as he can, but the motorcycle cuts him off. However, it's not Orin. Rather, it's Sango._

"Sango!"  
>"Hey cutie pie. What's in the box?"<br>"Um... it's not for you!"  
>"Is that a dress that I'm looking for? Don't bother lying."<br>"Okay it is! But it's not for you, it's for someone special!"  
>"I'm not special? Give me the dress and no one gets hurt."<br>"No way! It cost me 30,000 yen!"  
>"Ah~ ha ha ha ha ha! You asked for it, you little mouse."<p>

_Sango chases Shohei down on her motorcycle. He can tell that she's closing in, but he's trapped._

"Aha! Cornered!"

_As Shohei instinctively defends himself using the box as a shield, Sango takes it from him and opens it._

"A PINK dress?! Yuck! I'm going to get you for this!"

_Shohei escapes by ascending scaffolding of a tall building. He makes it to the top, but he's so high up and he's trying to maintain balance. While Sango calls for Shohei to come down, Hikari was passing by._

"Come down here so I can flatten you!"  
>"What's this?" Hikari pondered and looked up. "Shohei?!"<br>"Hikari!"  
>"What are you doing up there?!"<br>"Escaping from San-"

_Shohei was cut off by slipping._

"GOOOOOOO!"

_Hikari catches Shohei at the last second. She then puts him down and sees the box on the ground._

"Is that a present? For me? You didn't have to buy me one." said Hikari.  
>"It's the thought that counts, right?" Shohei asked.<br>"Well, well, well, if it isn't that twerp's girl-friend," said Sango.  
>"We're just friends," said Hikari.<br>"Hikari..."  
>"Please leave Shohei alone. If you want him, you'll have to go through me!"<br>"Big mistake!"

_As Sango throws a punch at Hikari, Shohei worries about his friend's safety._

"Hikari, no!" Shohei cried out.

_However, Hikari blocks Sango's fist with her hand._

Sango said, "What the hell?"

_Hikari then flips Sango onto the ground and places her foot on her abdomen._

"Nobody lays a finger on my friend. Kindly leave before this gets messy; I took self-defense lessons."  
>"Grr... fine!"<p>

_Sango leaves on her motorcycle._

"Hikari... that was awesome!" said Shohei.  
>"Oh?" Hikari blushes, and says, "Oh dear, is it dusk already? Shohei, will you do me the honor of taking me home?"<br>"Sure!"

_As Shohei and Hikari arrive at the mansion, they find Mr. Kazama at the entrance._

"Dad!" Shohei exclaimed. "You made it!"  
>"As usual."<br>"Every year, not missing a beat," Hikari thought to herself with a smile.  
>"I worked extra hard this year to get my beloved family really nice gifts."<br>"Thanks, dad," said Shohei.  
>"So, how has your Christmas Eve been?"<p>

_A few minutes later, the Momokawas, the Kazamas, and the families of their friends are having dinner. The Kazamas' dog Inumaru tries to woo the Momokawas' poodle Charlotte, but she just snubs him. Hikari hangs some mistletoe over the dogs' heads, and they blush and proceed to rub their noses against each other._

_The next morning is Christmas morning. Everyone got what they wanted, and the Sharks got theirs, as usual, even though they stole. As a gift from Hikari, Shohei received a scarf she knitted herself with the initials "S.K." embroidered on it, and there was a card attached. It states:_

_"Shohei, thank you for getting me this beautiful pink dress for Christmas. For the first time in a while, I actually feel really happy. Merry Christmas, Hikari."_

_Inside the card was a photo of Hikari wearing the dress._

"You look so radiant in that dress. Merry Christmas to you, too, Hikari..." said Shohei as he blushes.

_Meanwhile in her bedroom, Hikari was sitting on her bed, still wearing the dress._

"Thank you, Shohei. I feel like I might fall in love with you..."

* * *

><p>"Merry Christmas, everybody," said Ronette.<br>"May your holidays be as joyous as ours," said Crystal.  
>"Next week is the New Year! Come back soon!" said Chiffon.<p> 


	6. Hatsuyume Fever

"Hatsuyume, the new year," said Ronette.  
>Crystal said, "The holiday involves dreams."<br>"If you dream about an eggplant, a hawk, or Mt. Fuji, you'll have good luck on the year you dream of any of those," said Chiffon.  
>And in unison, they said, "However, on the eve of this Hatsuyume, Shohei isn't so lucky..."<p>

**HATSUYUME FEVER**

_One morning at Shohei's house, Shohei is lying in his bed, not looking so well. His mother, wearing a mask over her mouth, holds an oral thermometer._

"39.4. Well, it looks like you have a fever. All you can do today is rest," his mother said. "I'll go make tea now. A good 8 cups will flush out your illness and reinvigorate you as soon as tomorrow morning."

_With that, she leaves._

"I suppose you can't feed me today?" Hikari II asks.  
>"No, I might make you sick," said Shohei weakly.<br>"No, you have a human illness. I'm immune to those. But seriously, feed me!"  
>"I'm too weak. If I try, it might take longer to recover, or even worse, I might die."<br>"Die? Tough call. I guess it's more bugs for me."

_Meanwhile at the flower shop, Mr. Sonoda has just got a phone call from Shohei's mom._

"Excellent. This place is going to get dusty again!" Sonoda sighed. "I guess if you want something done, you got to do it yourself."

_Mr. Sonoda sweeps the floor, grumbling._

"Mr. Sonoda, why are you sweeping the floor?" Hikari asked.  
>"Kazama has a fever and he can't come to work today. Now if you'll excuse me..."<p>

_As Mr. Sonoda resumes sweeping, Hikari looks out the window with concern. She thought to herself, "Get well soon, Shohei."_

* * *

><p><em>Later that night, everyone was asleep. Shohei was sound asleep already. He then finds himself in a blank white area, dressed in his usual clothes and completely healthy.<em>

"Where am I? What is this place? Am I better already?"  
>"No..." a voice said.<br>"You are having a dream," another voice said.  
>"You're still sick as a dog!" a third voice said.<br>"You idiot, I've already answered that for him!" the first voice shouted.  
>"But I was only making it clear!" the third voice said.<br>"Both of you, please stop arguing; Shohei deserves an explanation," the second voice said.

_Ronette, Crystal, and Chiffon reveal themselves._

"Hi there, cutie pie! I'm Ronette."  
>"Nice to meet you. I'm Crystal."<br>"And I'm Chiffon!"  
>"In this Hatsuyume dream of yours, you are to look for an eggplant to use as an offering to the Rose Goddess," said Ronette.<br>"To do that, you have to carry it all the way to the top of Mt. Fuji and throw it into its mouth," said Crystal.  
>"And I'm going to help you look for it!" said Chiffon.<br>"Okay?" Shohei said with confusion.

_The blank white area turned into a forest, Ronette and Crystal disappear, and Shohei and Chiffon begin to trek._

"I feel so giddy! I get to help a cute guy find an eggplant!" Chiffon said with a giggle.  
>"Ehehe... I kind of have someone else, Chiffon..." Shohei said.<br>"Aww, poo!" the yellow-clad girl said.  
>"You're really strange. And so are your friends. I probably shouldn't have that last cup of tea before I went to- Oof!"<p>

_Shohei tripped over something. The item in question was an eggplant._

"Oh my God, it's an eggplant! And it's as big as Inumaru when he was a puppy!"  
>"Congratulations, you two," a voice said.<p>

_The voice came from Crystal._

"Since you have found the eggplant, your reward is a new traveling companion, moi."  
>"Yay! Now let's head to Mt. Fuji!" Chiffon cheered.<p>

_The three of them are out of the forest and travel through a meadow for what felt like hours. Eventually, they come across an abandoned house._

"All this walking is really exhausting," said Shohei as he sat down in an armchair.  
>"It's been a while since someone sat on me," a voice spoke.<br>"HUH?! Who said that?"

_A ghost comes from the chair._

"Would you like some tea?"  
>"AAH! GHOST!"<p>

_Shohei sprints right out of the house._

"Come back! My cousin Teresa is going to LOVE you!"

_Shohei reaches a dead end and the girls catch up._

"Sorry... ghosts scare the pants off of me..." said Shohei as he catches his breath. "What will we do now?"  
>"It's obvious," said Crystal.<br>"The only way left is UP!" said Chiffon.  
>"Up?!"<br>"That's right!" said Ronette as she appears before the others in the form of a hawk. "We'll fly to the top!"

_The other girls turn into hawks, much to Shohei's confusion. Unbeknownst to them, a male dog, a male monkey, and a female bird appear with a delinquent-looking Momotaro with them. They all seem so familiar._

"Hey, what the hell do you humans think you're doing, wan?!"  
>"Duh, hey! This is our territory!"<br>"Momo-sempai, let's get them!"  
>"You are going to pay for trespassing in the Peach Gang's territory!"<br>"Oh crap..." Shohei said in a deadpan voice. "I just dreamt that the Sharks were the main characters from the Momotaro fable, didn't I?"  
>"Now you need to pay our toll! Hand over your eggplant!" said Momotaro.<br>"No way!" said Shohei.  
>"Let's get out of here!" said Ronette as she picks up Shohei with her talons.<p>

_As the group got away, the Peach gang were in hot pursuit. Luckily, they managed to make it to the top of Mt. Fuji to get away._

"Crap! They got away, wan!"  
>"Duh, what are we going to do?"<br>"We're going to the mountain!" the bird chirped.  
>"Let's go!" Momotaro said.<p>

* * *

><p><em>Meanwhile on the peak of Mt. Fuji, everyone lands safely and the girls turn back to normal.<em>

"All you have to do is drop the eggplant in the volcano like we've explained before," said Ronette.  
>"Right!" Shohei said.<p>

_As Shohei steps forward towards the mouth of the volcano..._

"Not so fast, human!"

_The Peach gang appear._

"How'd you get here so fast?!" Shohei said.  
>"Don't ask questions! Hand over the eggplant, or else you're volcano fodder!" said Momotaro.<br>"You want it? Come GET IT!" Shohei said as he threw the eggplant into the volcano.

_The Peach gang go after the eggplant in a heartbeat. As they fall, Momotaro grabs it._

"Ha ha! Yes! I win!" boasted Momotaro.  
>"Um, Momo-sempai?" the bird said.<br>"What?"  
>"WE'RE FALLING INTO A VOLCANO AND ARE GOING TO BE TEMPURA!" the bird shrieked.<br>"Oh... sh-"

_Meanwhile back at the rim of the volcano, Shohei watches the Peach gang being burned to a crisp._

"Sorry about that, Orin. But it served you right."

_Just then, a golden ray of light shines down, and the Rose Goddess appears before Shohei. She looked like Hikari._

"Congratulations on fulfilling your quest, Kazama Shohei."  
>"Hikari-chan?"<br>"And I'm also proud of you for getting rid of Momotaro and his rambunctious gang. This is your reward."

_The Rose Goddess planted a kiss on Shohei's forehead, and then, the dream ends. Shohei was still asleep momentarily, blushing and smiling, and then he wakes up to see Hikari actually kissing him on the forehead._

"Hikari!" Shohei said with a blush.  
>"Good morning! How are you feeling?"<br>"I feel... I feel better now! My fever faded away!"  
>"Last night, I dreamt that I found an eggplant that turned into you and we rode hawks across the forest surrounding Mt. Fuji. What about you?"<br>"Well, I found an eggplant, a hawk carried me, and I threw the eggplant into Mt. Fuji as an offering to the Rose Goddess."  
>"Wow!"<p>

_Meanwhile from Shohei's window, the 3 women peek in there._

"Should we tell them?" Ronette asked.  
>"No, let's leave them be," said Crystal.<br>"It was fun to interact with Shohei in his dream!" said Chiffon.  
>"Yes, and it will be more fun once Shohei finds out about the plant. Hehehe..." Ronette chuckled.<p>

_Who are these 3 women? How do they know about the plant?_


	7. Love Spray

**LOVE SPRAY**

_One morning at school, blushing girls are putting chocolates and love notes in the boys' lockers. Shohei watches as this happens._

"Valentine's Day. Girls show affection by giving a boy they love some chocolate," Shohei thought to himself. "I've never had been given chocolate as a gift from Hikari before... but what if she doesn't like me as much as I like her?"

_Just then, Hikari walks by in the hallway._

"Hi, Hikari!"  
>"Can't talk now, Shohei. Sorry."<br>"But today is Valentine's Day."  
>"I'm a little busy right now."<br>"Busy?"  
>"No questions! See you in class!"<br>Shohei lowers his head and sighs. He thought to himself, "Why won't Hikari talk to me? Maybe she doesn't care about me... No! She can't possibly hate me! That's silly."

_Once class started, Shohei walks up to Hikari._

"What is it exactly you're busy with?"  
>"I can't tell you."<br>"Why not?"  
>"None of your business, Shohei!" said Natsumi, who butts in. "This is a girl thing!"<br>"Hey Natsumi, have you got something for me?" Daisuke asks.  
>"Sorry Daisuke, I am not telling you!"<br>"C'mon!"  
>"No!"<p>

_Daisuke walks away, with Shohei following. They meet up with Makoto._

"This stinks," said Makoto. "I'm the only boy in school without a girl."  
>"Me too," said Daisuke. "Natsumi won't say a word to me!"<br>"Neither would Hikari," said Shohei.  
>"Maybe she's tired of you, Shohei."<br>"What?"  
>"I don't think so, Daisuke," said Makoto. "Shohei and Hikari were really close."<br>"As friends, Makoto. Girls are fickle creatures. Hikari is not interested in having a romantic relationship with Shohei."  
>"You're wrong, Daisuke!" said Shohei. "I'll make Hikari confess!"<p>

_Shohei continues to pursue Hikari, but she keeps ignoring him for the next few hours. Once lunch period came around, Shohei eats alone on the roof._

"Maybe Hikari doesn't like me anymore... are all the nice things I've done for her all in vain?"

_As Shohei bursts into tears over his predicament, Mr. Chang shows up on the roof from out of nowhere._

"Yo, Kazama-san!"  
>"Huh? M-m- Mr. Chang! Hello! I wasn't crying; I have allergies!"<br>"No sense lying, boy. I had a gut feeling that today, I'd be giving someone a special gift, and that someone is... you!"  
>"... what?"<br>"No, I meant that I will be giving you something to help you win your lady's heart..."

_Chang takes out a heart-shaped spray bottle with pink fluid inside it._

"Chang's Love Spray!"  
>"Love... Spray?"<br>"That's right! If a lady sprays this on any part of her body, she will fall in love with the first person she sees, as long as it's the opposite sex."  
>"Thank you so much!"<br>"This will cost you 500 yen."  
>"Deal!"<p>

* * *

><p><em>Later that day, school has ended. Shohei has purchased the love potion, and put it in his backpack since. He manages to ask Hikari out for a parfait at Cafe Au Lait, and she agrees. However, she planned ahead. At Cafe Au Lait, Shohei and Hikari were at a table.<em>

"Hikari, I got a present for you," said Shohei.

_Shohei rummages through his backpack to get the Love Spray. Hikari II was relieved to have it out._

"It's about time you brought that out," Hikari II thought to itself. "My claustrophobia was starting to set in..."  
>"It's a bottle of perfume. Would you like to try it?"<br>"Oh Shohei, how sweet of you!" said Hikari as she exposes her wrist. "I would love to!"

_Shohei presses the nozzle on the love potion's bottle, and... sprays himself, making him cough._

"Oh dear, Shohei, are you okay?"  
>"Yeah, I'm okay."<p>

_Shohei faces the window for a second and sees Sango nearby. Upon seeing her, his eyes turn from a bluish-green to a sugary pink while he blushes. Shohei then gets up and goes outside._

"Shohei? Where are you going?"

_Hikari looks at the love potion bottle and reads it._

"Love Spray: use this on a guy or girl, and they will fall in love with the first woman or man that they lay their eyes on..."

_Hikari then sees Shohei going after Sango._

"Kazama Shohei, of all the crazy things you've done, this is by far the craziest!"

_Just then, Daisuke shows up._

"Hey Hikari, what's up?"  
>"Shohei bought a love potion and told me it was perfume, and then he sprayed himself and now he's going after Sango!"<br>"Love potion? Let me see that."

_Daisuke then swipes the Love Spray._

"Daisuke, what are you doing?!"

_Daisuke goes over to Natsumi._

"Hey Natsumi, I got you this nice perfume. Want to try it?"  
>"Aww Daisuke, I knew someday you'd come around and be a gentleman."<p>

_Daisuke sprays the love potion on Natsumi's wrist and she sniffs it._

"That's funny, I don't smell anything..."

_Natsumi pauses and looks at Daisuke longingly as her eyes go from hazel to pink. She then pounces on top of him._

"Daisuke-kun, take me now!" said Natsumi.  
>"Wow, this worked better than I thought!" said Daisuke.<br>"That's it, I'm getting an antidote from Mr. Chang right now!" said Hikari as she leaves.

_Hikari heads to Mr. Chang's shop when she sees Shohei trying to woo Sango._

"Sango, my dear!" Shohei exclaimed. "I was a fool to fear and reject your advances, and now I am hear to declare our love!"  
>Sango says, "What?"<br>"Don't deny this! You try to hurt me because you love me!"  
>"In your dreams, you little worm! Orin-sempai!"<p>

_Immediately, the other Sharks appear._

"Is there a problem, Sango?" Orin asks.  
>"This little twerp is hitting on me!"<br>"Hey you! What the hell do you think you're doing?"  
>"Orin, that attitude is the reason why you don't deserve someone as lovely as Sango!"<br>"Well, too bad! Sango is off limits! Besides, I thought you loved that pretty rich girl."

_Upon hearing what Orin says, Shohei hesitates and feels confused._

"Pretty rich girl...?"  
>"Well either way, I'm still going to punish you!"<p>

_Orin chases Shohei on his motorcycle as Hikari watches in concern._

"Oh no, if Shohei doesn't run fast enough, he will..."

_Thankfully, Shohei manages to outrun the motorcycle and hides in a trash can. Orin stops his motorcycle and looks around._

"Damn, he got away," Orin muttered.

_As Orin leaves, Shohei emerges from a trash can with a fish skeleton on his head, and a cat next to him._

"Good, he's gone," said Shohei. "But... I am so confused. Who do I love?"  
>"Nyan nya~n..." the cat went.<p>

_Shohei realizes that Chang's shop was nearby, so he gets out of the trash can and heads inside._

"Mr. Chang!"  
>"Ah, well if it isn't the boy from earlier! Hmm? You smell bad for some reason."<br>"I was in a trash can."  
>"You kids these days. So, how did it go?"<br>"I don't know... Hikari is great, but Sango is..."  
>"That lady from the Sharks?! Oh no, this means you used the Love Spray... on yourself, and looked the other way! I am getting the antidote!"<p>

_Mr. Chang gets up on a ladder and picks something from the top shelf. It was what looked like a black smoke bomb with a red broken heart on it. As Mr. Chang descends, Hikari comes in._

"Mr. Chang!" Hikari called out.

_Mr. Chang gets startled and fell off the ladder. He mutters in Chinese over the situation._

"What is it, Miss Momokawa?"  
>"Shohei bought a love potion, and..."<p>

_Hikari sees that Shohei is there, and he looks confused._

Shohei utters, "Hikari..."

_Just then, Daisuke comes in with Natsumi attached to his leg._

"Mr. Chang!" said Daisuke.  
>"Aiyaa..." Chang muttered to himself.<br>"I found that love potion that Shohei bought, and I used it on Natsumi, and now she won't give me any space!"  
>"Daisuke, let's get married and have a ton of kids!"<br>"No way; we're still in high school!"  
>"ENOUGH!" shouted Chang. "I will now use the antidote!"<p>

_Mr. Chang throws the antidote onto the floor, filling the room with smoke. As the smoke clears, the effects of the love potion that Shohei and Natsumi went through wear off, and their eyes are back to their normal colors._

"Daisuke," said Natsumi. "Is there a reason why I'm clinging to your leg?"  
>"Uh... well, I used a love potion, and..."<br>"A love potion?! You're sick!"

_Natsumi slaps Daisuke, takes the Love Spray, gives it back to Mr. Chang, and leaves the shop._

"She's such a tsundere~" Daisuke swooned.  
>"Huh? Where did Hikari go?" Shohei pondered.<p>

_Shohei notices that Hikari left, much to his dismay. He leaves the shop with a feeling of sadness._

"I wonder what Hikari thinks of me now..." Shohei lowers his head and starts to cry. "I don't think she will ever speak to me again..."  
>Hikari II pops out and observes. "What's this? He's crying... it must be about today. Poor guy... I'm so hungry, I could consume his tears. In fact, I just might."<p>

_The plant then licks Shohei's cheek, catching his attention._

"What are you doing, Two-chan?"  
>"Hey, I think I'm sprouting flowers!"<br>"What?"

_It turns out that it's true. Hikari II grew two whitish-yellow flowers with thin petals._

"I got to show this to Hikari!"

_Later, in Hikari's room, she is lying on her bed, worrying about Shohei. Just then, she hears a knock on her bedroom door._

"Hikari! I got something to show you!"  
>"Shohei?" Hikari says as she opens the door. "I-it's not White Day yet..."<br>"This is not a White Day present, but I want to show you something!"

_Shohei takes out Hikari II and shows her its flowers._

"Wow...! You've must've taken really good care of it!"  
>"I'm sorry about what happened. I thought that you didn't like me anymore."<br>"Kazama Shohei, what are you saying? I LOVE you, silly!"  
>"Wow! Really?!" Shohei chimed with a bright blush.<br>"Of course! You're cute, bright, and quite the gentleman towards me!"  
>"I... I love you, too! You're nice, smart, and the most beautiful girl I've ever met!"<p>

_Shohei and Hikari then proceed to give each other a huge kiss._

"Here, take these chocolates I made myself," said Hikari as she gives Shohei her chocolates.  
>"Thank you! Well, see you tomorrow!"<br>"Bye!"  
>Shohei leaves the mansion, and in the sunset, he leaps into the air with joy, shouting "YA-HOO~! Hikari loves me!"<p> 


	8. Cherry Blossom Birthday

_One morning in the spring, the city is painted with the glow of the morning sun and the pink color of the cherry trees. The breeze wafts cherry blossom petals all around. A petal ends up riding on a breeze that rolls gently into Shohei's bedroom window. Shohei was sound asleep in his white tank top and blue boxers, smiling. Apparently, he was dreaming about Hikari. However, his sweet dream was rudely interrupted when the petal landed by his nose, making him sneeze himself awake. Shohei then picks up the petal._

"A cherry blossom petal..."

_Shohei peers out the window above the headboard to his bed._

"Wow... the cherry trees look so beautiful today..."  
>"Onee-san!" Reiko shouted.<br>"Aah! Reiko, please don't do that!"  
>"But today's your birthday!"<p>

_That's right. Today is April 18th, my birthday. I'm 16 years old now, just a bit younger than Hikari-chan, who turned 16 on February 22nd. I plan to take her out on a date and look at the cherry blossoms._

"Meet me downstairs! I made you breakfast!"  
>"I'll be down shortly."<p>

_Reiko goes downstairs._

"What is this 'birthday'?" Hikari II asked.  
>"Well, a birthday celebrates the day a person was born. I should consider your birthday to be September 23rd, which was the day I bought you." said Shohei.<br>"Uh... yeah!" said Hikari II in a suspicious manner.  
>"What's the matter? Don't like aging?"<br>"Very funny, Kazama! Sometimes I think this stork I've been hearing about might've dropped you..."  
>"Oh, shut up! I don't need to be insulted today!"<p>

_Grroowwl..._

"All this pointless arguing is making me hungry. I'm going downstairs."  
>"Happy birthday to you, too."<br>"Sorry about that," Shohei said in embarrassment. "That cherry blossom petal interrupted a nice dream."  
>"About your precious Hikari-chan, I bet, ha ha ha..." Hikari II thought to itself.<p>

**CHERRY BLOSSOM BIRTHDAY**

_Downstairs, Reiko has made breakfast for Shohei. Sliced grapefruit, toast, eggs and bacon, and a glass of orange juice._

"You made all of this by yourself?"  
>"Yup! I may be 7 years old going on 8, but I'm not that childish."<br>"With all due respect, Reiko, the last time you made me something to eat, I had to go to the hospital from food poisoning."  
>"I know, but I improved since, so, eat!" said Reiko as she stuffs a piece of toast into Shohei's mouth.<br>"It's really nice that you are a very caring sister," said Shohei as he swallows. "And no offense, but the toast could have been a LITTLE darker..."

_A few hours later, after brushing his teeth and putting on his clothes, Shohei heads outside, where Inumaru greets him by tackling him to the ground and licking his face._

"Hey, Inumaru! Ha ha ha! Heel!"

_Inumaru listens and runs off, only to come back with a leash._

"I don't see why not. I'm heading to Hikari's. Can you take me there? Charlotte might be waiting~..."

_Hearts appear in Inumaru's eyes once Shohei mentioned Charlotte. The big dog eagerly runs off and drags Shohei as the boy grasped his leash tightly._

"WHOOOOOOOOAAAAAHHH!"

_Inumaru stops in front of the gate to Hikari's mansion, and Shohei turns up, with spiral eyes spinning around from dizziness due to "riding" Inumaru. Shohei snaps out of it, gets up, and rings the doorbell._

"Hello?" Hikari's mother answered.  
>"Hi, Mrs. Momokawa! It's Shohei! I've come to ask your daughter to go dog-walking with me. Maybe we can see the cherry blossoms, too!"<br>"Sure thing! I'll go get Hikari!"

_As Shohei waits, he gets a funny feeling in his stomach, but he brushes it off._

"Oh, my stomach hurts... I can't believe I'm getting this far with Hikari-chan," Shohei thought to himself as he blushes madly. "We've become more than best friends... I'm so nervous..."  
>"Hey Shohei!" Hikari greeted.<br>"Aah! Oh, I'm sorry. Shall we go ahead?"  
>"Okay!"<p>

* * *

><p><em>Shohei and Hikari were walking Inumaru and Charlotte respectively through the suburbs. The pinkened cherry trees were blowing gently in the spring breeze as the petals flew by.<em>

"Man, the cherry blossoms are so beautiful this year."  
>"Yes, they are. These days remind me of small, cute things. What do they make you think of, Shohei?"<br>"Um..."

_Shohei imagines Hikari wearing the dress he bought her for Christmas, running in a field of flowers, calling out to him. He calls out to her in response, and when they meet up, they hold each others' hands, and Hikari tells Shohei, "I love you"._

"... the most beautiful things in the world."  
>"... like France?"<br>"Something like that."

_The dogs have their turn at a conversation. However, dogs can't talk, so their thoughts are to be translated into the next lines in this story:_

(It sure is beautiful today, isn't it, Charlotte-chan?)  
>(Inumaru-san, I can't really tell. We're color-blind.)<br>(Well, still, do you think today's a beautiful day?)  
>(With the trees looking all puffy and whatever color pink is, I suppose it is. And it smells fantastic today, too!)<br>(Yeah, the petals do smell wonderful, but there is no scent in the world that compares to yours.)  
>(Don't push it, Casanova. I only like you as a friend.)<br>(Aww...)

_The conversation goes back to their human owners, who have already stopped with them to sit down on a blanket to look at the cherry trees filling the air with pink petals._

"Wow... it's so pretty."  
>"And a lot of people are here, too!"<br>"Um, Hikari? Do you want to... have something to eat with me?"  
>"You don't need to ask me that, Shohei."<br>"Why not?"  
>"Because I brought some sandwiches that I made."<p>

_The two sat down and ate like everyone else is doing. Meanwhile, back at the dogs' perspective, as Inumaru and Charlotte watch, another dog's bark could be heard. The bark came from a doberman with a scratch on its left eye._

(Well, hello there, babe! I'm Wanikiba, Orin's dog!)  
>(Hey, buddy, watch what you're saying around Charlotte!)<br>(Inumaru, please, don't do this...)  
>"Hey Wanikiba, what's the matter? I think that flea bath did a number on your brain ce- well, if it isn't the twerp and the lovely Hikari!"<br>"Oh no. Not you again!" said Hikari.  
>"Orin? YOU watch cherry blossoms?"<br>"Sango asked me to go with her..." he said with a look of shame.  
>"Hi!" said Sango from her blanket.<br>"Well, can the both of you please leave us alone?" Shohei asked. "Today's my birthday."  
>"Aww, is it? Well congratulations, Shunsuke!"<br>"That's Shohei!"  
>"I see you have sandwiches, too," said Orin as he grabbed Shohei by the collar. "Well, guess what I got you: a knuckle sandwich! Bon appetit!"<p>

_Shohei cowers in fear as Orin was about to punch him, but Inumaru jumps in the way and bites Orin's fist._

"Grr...! Your stupid dog literally has bite! Sic em, Wanikiba!"

_Wanikiba leaps towards Shohei and Inumaru, about to tear them to shreds. Charlotte was watching, and she can't just stand there._

(I can't stand there and watch Shohei and Inumaru become chew toys for that scoundrel! It might be unladylike, but I got to save them!)

_Charlotte runs off and saves Shohei and Inumaru by biting Wanikiba's leg!_

(Yipe! Geez, you're tougher than you look!)  
>(I could bite more than just your leg, you jerk!)<br>"Wanikiba, let's go back to the blanket."

_Orin and his dog walk away._

"Charlotte! Bad girl; you could've gotten hurt!"  
>(But, my lady! I couldn't let that happen!)<br>"You couldn't let that happen?"

_Just then, she realizes that the crowd was watching everything._

"Nothing to see here! Continue watching the cherry blossoms, please!" said Hikari as she sweat-drops.

* * *

><p><em>Later that day, the sun was setting. The various shades of pink from both the sky and the cherry trees paint the city in a delightful color that makes the people awestruck. Meanwhile, Shohei and Hikari walk home to the mansion with their dogs.<em>

"Care to stay for a while, Shohei?"  
>"I don't know, what about mom?"<br>"Don't worry, I got a feeling that she'll understand..."

_The two go inside the mansion when..._

"SURPRISE!"

_Shohei was greeted by his family and friends in the foyer when his mother comes up to him and gives him a tight hug._

"I can't believe you're 16," said mom. "Pretty soon, you're going to be on your own, getting married, and start a family... uwaaah, my little baby boy is growing up so fast!"  
>"Mom, I can't breathe!"<br>"Sorry, sweetie," mom said as she lets Shohei go.  
>"If you wanted to know why it took a while for me to get ready for our date..." said Hikari.<br>"You mean, you planned this all along, Hikari?" said Shohei.  
>"That's right!"<p>

_As everyone has their party, they look out the windows to see the city bathed in a pink glow from the sunset and the petals flying around. Yes, including the plant._

"Now I know why humans watch stuff like this," Hikari II said to itself.

_Meanwhile at Tokyo Tower, the trio of women were at the top, also watching the petals fly by._

"Now I know why humans watch stuff like this." said Ronette.  
>"Truly a beautiful sight." said Crystal.<br>"It's so pink~!" said Chiffon.


	9. The Hot Summer Day

**THE HOT SUMMER DAY**

_It was a sunny day in Tokyo. No, really. It's a hot day because summer began not too long ago that year. Today's date is July 23rd. The mailman puts the mail in the Kazamas' mailbox._

"Mail call!"

_Shohei steps outside to get the mail._

"God, it's hot out here! I feel hotter than a hawk claw pepper!" Shohei groaned.  
>Hikari comes by and says, "Hey Shohei."<br>"Hi Hikari."  
>"It's so hot, that Mrs. Tomizawa just doesn't feel like teaching today. The principal, on the other hand, wanted to go to Sapporo where it's cooler."<br>"So there's no school today?"  
>"No. I'm burning up, can I please come inside?"<br>"Of course you can!"

_The two of them go inside to get some lemonade and head upstairs to Shohei's room. There were 3 fans running in the room._

"I didn't want Two-chan to die from the heat, so I turned on all these fans."  
>"But Shohei, Venus flytraps grow in hot environments, remember?"<br>"Oh yes, that's right. So, I guess to keep us cool at least."

_Just then, the power went out._

"Oh no! The power went out!"  
>"Don't worry; it's just in residential areas. However, my mansion has a back-up generator, but I feel like we should have some fun first."<br>"Fun?"  
>"I'll be outside. See you in 5 minutes!"<p>

_Hikari leaves the room._

"Phew, she's gone. Shohei, do me a favor," Hikari II said.  
>"For the last time, I'm not giving you any life energy! It's too hot, and I might faint afterwards!"<br>"No, stupid! Take me to the flower shop so I can cool off!"  
>"That's right; there's a back-up generator there, too!"<p>

_Shohei brings Hikari II outside._

"Why are you bringing the plant?" Hikari asked.  
>"I'm taking it to the flower shop to cool off! Mr. Sonoda has a back-up generator there, too!"<br>"Good idea; too much heat might kill it."

_The duo go to the flower shop._

"What are you two doing here? The union will give me a fine if you work today, which you shouldn't because it's hot!" said Mr. Sonoda.  
>"I'm just putting Two-chan in a cool place!" said Shohei.<br>"Good timing; the back-up generator just turned on."  
>"Thanks!"<p>

_Shohei places Hikari II in the usual spot on a small table._

"Isn't that better, Two-chan?"

_BOOM! The lights suddenly go out._

"_Excellent!_ The back-up generator is broken!" Sonoda said.

_Mr. Sonoda grabs an umbrella, opens it, and places it over Hikari II._

"I'll go fix it. In the meantime, both of you find some ways to cool off."  
>"Are you okay on fixing the back-up generator at your age in this heat?" said Hikari.<br>"I've weathered through many things in my 53 years of living, and the heat is merely nothing to me! Besides, it could get noisy."  
>"Okay. See you later, Mr. Sonoda!"<p>

* * *

><p><em>Shohei and Hikari are taking a stroll on this hot day.<em>

"Hey, I have an idea: why don't we get some ice cream?" Shohei suggested.  
>"Great idea!" Hikari said.<p>

_So, they both bought ice cream and sat down on a bench under a tree to eat._

"This shade is nice."  
>"Sure is," said Shohei. "Now, let's eat this ice cream before it melts!"<p>

_Shohei ingests the last big chunk of the bar and gets brain freeze._

"Ow~!"  
>"That's what you get for eating it too fast," Hikari scolds.<br>"Aah..."  
>"However, I actually find this kind of funny for some reason!" said Hikari as she laughs.<p>

_Meanwhile at the flower shop, Mr. Sonoda was trying to fix the back-up generator, but with very little luck._

"Which part goes where?! Where is the instruction manual?"  
>Hikari II thought to itself, "Man, I'm so thirsty. Maybe the fridge has water."<p>

_Hikari II extends a vine, trying to get to the fridge. It opens the door, then grabs a can, closes the door, and brings the can back to itself to drink._

"Glug, glug... what the? This water tastes weird. Wait a minute, this isn't water, it's sake (rice beer). It tastes better than I thought."

_Hikari II finishes the can of sake._

"This sake stuff tastes good! I think I might want to drink some more!"

_Back with Shohei and Hikari..._

"Oh, dear... I guess ice cream wasn't enough. It feels like a sauna in a volcano out here." Hikari commented.  
>"Qwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnm..."<br>"What?"  
>"My brain isn't just frozen, but I'm suffering from heat stroke! Smoke if you got 'em!"<br>"We've got to get you somewhere cool."

_Later at a water park, Shohei and Hikari are next in line to get tickets._

"Next!" Natsumi called out.  
>"Hello, Natsumi!" greeted Hikari.<br>"Hi, Hikari!" said Natsumi.  
>"Are you working here?"<br>"Yeah, part-time! What can I do for you?"  
>"I'd like two high school tickets."<br>"Coming right up! Oh, and I'm going to the beach after my shift's over, so do you guys want to come?"  
>"Sure!"<p>

_Later, at the water slides, Shohei and Hikari ride down the slide on the inner tube and splash into the pool. They were having a lot of fun._

"Ah~ I feel so much better now!" Shohei said contentedly.

_Shohei gets a good look at Hikari in her slightly skimpy one piece swimsuit. He blushes in arousal at the sight of this. _

"Shohei? Are you okay?" Hikari asks.  
>"Huh?" Shohei snaps out of his love trance. "Yeah, I'm all right. At least I'm not baking in the sun anymore."<br>"Well then, let's go back up to the slide for one more go!"  
>"Okay!"<p>

_Shohei and Hikari go down the big slide one more time. Meanwhile, back at the flower shop, Mr. Sonoda is still trying to fix the back-up generator, this time, with the manual._

"All right, how do I do this?"

_Also, Hikari II is drunk out of its spores. It calls someone on the telephone._

"Yo, hello, papa? ... how much money do you have? Hic. How many more experience points do I need to go to the next level required to learn 4th Dimension Slip? Hic. Yes, I'll save my game... drunk? No, my good man, you're the drunk one! Hic! G'night!"

_Hikari II hangs the phone up and dials again, this time for pizza._

"I learned that trick from Shohei-kun~ Hic! Hello, Pizza Bell? This is Mr. Sonoda of the flower shop. I'd like 3 large Meat Cravers pizzas. Deliver it at the flower shop for I am hungry!"

_Seconds later, the pizza delivery guy shows up, knocking on the door. Hikari II opens the door with its vine._

"Here's your pizzas! That'll be 2,400 yen!"

_The plant then takes the pizzas, and when the pizza delivery guy sees who grabs them, he freaks out._

"Aah! You can have your pizzas for free! I'll tell my boss that I had to take a long bathroom break along the way!"  
>"Heh heh heh. Free pizza for me. Sweet."<p>

_Hikari II then proceeds to devour its meal by the slice. Rather loudly. Mr. Sonoda loses concentration to check out the noise._

"What the hell is that...noise?"

_The plant continues to eat the pizza in a gluttonous manner._

"What is this?!"  
>"Lighten up, old man! Eat some pizza and have some sake!" Hikari II said as it opens a can.<br>"The plant is talking?! Eating pizza! Drinking my sake! I think I'm delirious from the heat..." Mr. Sonoda said right before he faints.

_Meanwhile at the beach, Shohei and Hikari go out for a swim in the ocean when a big wave comes._

"Uh-oh..." Shohei muttered. "Hikari, quick, let's get back to shore!"

_Shohei and Hikari try to swim back to shore. Hikari succeeds, but Shohei ends up getting washed up on shore._

"Are you all right, Shohei-kun?"  
>"Don't worry Hikari-chan, I'm okay."<p>

_Daisuke and Natsumi come up to the two._

"Hey, do you want to play volleyball with me and Natsumi?"  
>"I don't know, Daisuke," said Shohei. "I'm not the most athletic guy you've known."<br>"C'mon Shohei, it'll be fun, please?" Hikari asked.  
>"Well... okay."<br>"That's the spirit!" said Natsumi.

_The 4 teenagers went to play volleyball. It was Shohei and Hikari vs. Daisuke and Natsumi. To Shohei's surprise, both teams were evenly matched._

"Hey, I'm pretty good!" said Shohei.

_Later that night at Hikari's mansion, Shohei and Hikari were watching TV._

"Well, Hikari, this day has been great, but it's getting late. G'night," said Shohei.  
>"Good night," said Hikari.<p>

_Shohei heads to the flower shop and opens the door to see the mess that was made earlier._

"Mr. Sonoda, what happened here?"  
>"Plant. Talking. Pizza. Sake."<br>"Take it easy, sir. You're just delirious from the heat."

_Shohei picks up the plant and heads home._

"Boy, Two-chan, you look a little flush."  
>"Are you an angel from Heaven coming to take me away?"<br>Shohei sniffs the plant's breath and asks, "Is that alcohol on your breath?"  
>Hikari II sobbed, "I'm sorry, man. I thought it was water. Magic water that can make me big and strong."<br>"Dear Lord, you are wasted! As soon as we get home, I'm giving you life energy!"  
>"Hell no! I want to eat some flies, and maybe have some blood."<br>"What do you think this is, that movie with the man-eating plant?"

_Shohei breaks the fourth wall after saying that and stares into space._

"Did I just say what I thought I said?"

_So, the day ended, as did the heat wave. I got to have a good time with Hikari-chan. And Two-chan, meanwhile, when I was away, got drunk off of Mr. Sonoda's personal supply of sake and ordered pizza. This was a rather humorous day, and since it's about to end, it's time for bed._

_Later that night, Shohei gets ready for bed as Hikari II sobers up on the desk._

"G'night, Two-chan," said Shohei as he places his hand on the plant.  
>Hikari II perks up and says, "G'night, Shohei!"<p>

_Just then, Hikari II got a little bigger, teeters, and falls off the desk._

Hikari II says with a newly-deepened voice, "Hey Shohei, I got a growth spurt!"  
>"Just wonderful..." Shohei says as he puts his hands on his face.<p> 


	10. Inspection Day

_What is the world coming to? I know I can be unlucky sometimes, but this is ludicrous beyond belief! Okay, ladies and gentlemen, I'll abridge what has happened in my life. I'm Kazama Shohei, 15 years old, now 16 years old as of a few months ago. About a year ago, I bought a plant to save the flower shop and win the heart of Hikari. The plant's name is Hikari II, and it feeds on my life energy in order to grow, but when I got so tired, it had to eat bugs and meat like a normal carnivorous plant. However, time after time, Two-chan would get the craving for life energy, and believe me, this has helped me in a few sticky situations, but one summer night not too long ago..._

_The story goes back to what happened last._

"G'night, Two-chan," said Shohei as he places his hand on the plant.  
>Hikari II perks up and says, "G'night, Shohei!"<p>

_Just then, Hikari II got a little bigger, teeters, and falls off the desk._

Hikari II says with a newly-deepened voice, "Hey Shohei, I got a growth spurt!"  
>"Just wonderful..." Shohei says as he puts his hands on his face.<p>

_And now, Hikari II is bigger than before, going from 0.3 meters to up to my waist, and let me tell you, it's kind of heavy. So, with its huge size, I figured that I can't take care of it everywhere I go anymore, and take care of it at the flower shop._

* * *

><p><em>One day, Shohei was carrying Hikari II to the flower shop and straining himself trying.<em>

"Either you need to go on a diet, or I should start working out."

_Eventually, Shohei makes it to the flower shop, enters, and places the plant near the window._

"Kazama!"  
>"Sorry I'm late, Mr. Sonoda! Hikari II is kinda heavy since that growth spurt!"<br>"That's just it; your plant has grown, and it's beautiful! Excellent! Now, we must prepare ourselves for Inspection Day later today at 5:00 PM!"  
>"Oh my, that's right! Today's Inspection Day!"<br>"Now, sweep the floor and tend to the plant!"  
>"Yes, sir!"<p>

**INSPECTION DAY**

_Shohei is sweeping the floor by Hikari II._

"Hey! Stop sweeping the floor and feed me!" Hikari II demanded.  
>"No way! That was the reason why you're staying at the flower shop from now on!" said Shohei.<br>"Me? Stay here? That must mean..."  
>"Right; no more life energy! You're already big enough, and you're beautiful enough to attract more attention now!"<p>

_Hikari II grabs Shohei with one of its vines._

"Oh, Kazama Shohei, flattery will get you everywhere... including a whip of the vine!"

_Hikari II slaps Shohei in the face with a vine, then lets him go._

"Whatever! But when you have any meat, I want to eat it cooked and with flavor!"  
>"Don't you ever get spoiled enough?"<br>"Kazama, quit talking to that plant!" said Sonoda.  
>"But sir, talking to plants is part of being a florist, isn't it?"<br>"Talking, yes. Arguing with it, no! Just keep this place clean! If the flower shop passes inspection, it'll appear in a magazine!"  
>"Wow, that's awesome!"<p>

_Hikari comes in._

"Sorry I'm late, you two!" said Hikari. "I am so nervous about today!"  
>Shohei said, "Me too! All I have to do is keep the place clean!"<br>Mr. Sonoda said, "Excellent! Now, you two mind the store while I go to the airport to greet the people coming here."  
>"Airport?" the two teens said in unison.<br>"Francoise and Luciano, from France and Italy respectively! They're close friends, and they've boarded the same plane together! Luckily, I've majored in many languages, so I'm their translator! So keep the place nice, or you'll both be laid off!"  
>"Yes, sir!"<p>

* * *

><p><em>As Shohei sweeps the floor, Hikari is organizing things, such as the flowers, and the money in the register, which she counts. Daisuke, Makoto, and Natsumi drop by.<em>

"Hey Shohei, Hikari," said Natsumi.  
>"Hi guys!" said Shohei.<br>"What brings you all here?" said Hikari.  
>"We figured we'd stop by and help you!"<br>"Actually, Natsumi forced us to come here," said Daisuke.  
>"C'mon, Daisuke~"<br>"I love the flower shop!" said Makoto. "Not only do the flowers smell good, but some of them taste good too!"

_Hikari II tries to bite at Makoto._

"Shohei, your plant is trying to eat me!"  
>"Don't worry, Hikari II doesn't eat human flesh," said Shohei. "Shame on you Hikari II, you know better!"<p>

_Hikari II sticks its tongue out. Just then, some kids come by and start throwing water balloons at the window._

"What the?"  
>"Shohei, can you please take care of this? I'm counting the money, and I need to concentrate."<br>"Let me go instead," said Daisuke. "I am a master negotiator."

_Daisuke goes outside and tries to get the kids to leave._

"Excuse me!"

_The kids stop throwing balloons._

"Listen, you kids, this flower shop here is going to be featured in a magazine that will attract more business than usual. And the nice glasses boy and his blonde lady friend in there are trying to keep this place neat and clean in order for that to happen. So, why don't you do me a favor, and stop throwing water balloons at it and go play or something?"

_The kids' response? They throw all of their balloons at Daisuke, drenching him. He gets so frustrated by this that a rage vein appears over his head._

"Okay! Now, that it's all said and done... GET OUTTA HERE!"

_The kids promptly run off, laughing._

"Stupid, bratty kids, now I have to dry off. Ah-CHOO! I really hope I don't catch a cold..."

* * *

><p><em>Meanwhile at the airport, the plane has arrived. The passengers get off the plane, and Sonoda holds up a sign saying "Francoise + Luciano". The two important people descend the stairs and meet up with Sonoda.<em>

"Sonoda! Buon giorno, nice to meet you!" Luciano greeted.  
>"You two mastered my language?" Sonoda asked.<br>"Oui oui, we were heading to Japan, so we brushed up and voila, here we are," said Francoise.  
>"Excellent!" said Sonoda, who then thinks to himself, "My French and Italian are getting rusty anyway."<p>

_Back at the flower shop, Daisuke comes back wearing dry clothes._

"I did not see all of this coming," said Daisuke.  
>"Some kids are just delinquents," said Shohei. "But at least Reiko wouldn't think twice about joining..."<p>

_Just then, a motorcycle's roar fills the air._

"... the Sharks. Stay put, Hikari; I'll deal with those jerks."  
>"No, I'll come with you!"<br>"Me too!" said Daisuke.  
>"And me!" said Natsumi.<br>"Count me out!" said Makoto.

_Shohei, Hikari, Daisuke, and Natsumi step outside and confront the Sharks._

"Well, well, well, if it isn't Hikari and her loser friends!" said Orin.  
>"What are they doing confronting us?" Piranha asked.<br>"Yeah, yeah, hello to all of you, too," said Shohei.  
>"I only have one thing to say to all of you: GET LOST!" Daisuke shouted.<p>

_The Sharks exchange shocked expressions._

"What we mean is, we don't want you guys to ruin this important day! The flower shop is up for inspection, and if it passes, it'll be in a magazine and attract more customers." said Hikari.  
>"Yeah!" said Natsumi. "You don't know how important this is to Shohei and Hikari!"<br>"Like we care about this flower shop!" said Sango.  
>"Now that all is said and done... Unagi! Throw the sludge bomb!" said Orin.<br>"Duh, you got it, Orin-sempai!"

_Unagi throws a strange bomb that crashes through the window and explodes, making the place dirty and scaring Makoto._

"Holy crap!" said Makoto.  
>"WHY YOU-!" Daisuke shouted as he charges at the Sharks, but Orin stops him at arm's length.<br>"Nice try, freckles!" taunted Orin. "Smell you all later!"

_The Sharks ride off laughing._

Shohei stares in disbelief and stammers, "The- the shop..."  
>"What have they done?" said Hikari.<br>Shohei drops to his knees and says, "I spent hours sweeping that place... don't cry, Shohei; whatever you do, please don't... WAAAAAAAA~!"

_Natsumi goes over to Shohei, picks him up and slaps him with each word._

"PULL! YOURSELF! TOGETHER!"

_She then puts him down gently._

"Natsumi, may I?" Hikari asks.  
>"Go ahead."<p>

_Hikari then grabs Shohei and smooches him on the lips, making him come to his senses and blush._

"That's it! That's definitely it!" Shohei exclaimed. "No longer will I just sit here and do nothing; I got to take matters into my own hands! Guys, let's clean up the shop!"

_So, the gang cleans up the whole shop. Sweeping, organizing, and carefully picking up the shards of glass. All that's left is the window._

"My dad is a glass maker, so I've just called him to put in a new window!" said Natsumi.

_With that, the window was replaced. Shohei and Hikari's friends leave, but not without Hikari giving them free flowers._

"Thank you everybody," said Hikari. "It's nice having you 3 help us on this important day!"  
>"And thanks for the flowers!" said Natsumi.<br>"Bye!" everyone said to each other.

_As soon as Shohei and Hikari's friends leave, the plant then wilts and plops to the floor._

"Oh no, not now!" cried Shohei. "Hikari, please, I want you to do something."  
>"What can I do?"<br>"Place your hand on the plant with mine. And we'll hold each other's hands doing it."  
>"Why?"<br>"No time for questions; please do this!"  
>"Okay!"<p>

_The two of them place their hands on the plant. It regains consciousness._

"So the plant feeds on..."  
>"Life energy, that's right. I don't know why, but it does. But it can still eat stuff like steak and bugs. We can NEVER tell anyone else about this, okay?"<br>"I promise."  
>"Oogh... I feel a little dizzy right now."<br>"Mmm... Me too, but we got to pass inspection."

_Just then, the door opens, and Mr. Sonoda arrives with Francoise and Luciano._

"Kazama, Hikari, I see you've kept the place in tip-top shape!" Sonoda said.  
>"Mr. Sonoda, sir!" the teens said in unison.<br>"Tres bien! Very good!" said Francoise.  
>"Molto bene; this is going to be the main article in the next issue of the magazine!" said Luciano.<br>"Main article? Ya-taa~! (Hoo-RAY~!)" the teens cheered, right before fainting from exhaustion.  
>"Bless their hearts. They've worked so hard..." Sonoda said with elation.<p>

_Despite all of the efforts and turmoil that have occurred at the flower shop, Shohei and Hikari managed to keep it appealing for Francoise and Luciano. The flower shop is now the toast of the town, attracting many customers. Business has never been better. From atop of Chang's shop, the strange trio of girls watch the crowd._

"Bravo, Kazama Shohei," said Ronette.  
>"You've done well," said Crystal.<br>"Be prepared for your future! Hehehe..." Chiffon giggled.


	11. Souls?

_My name is Kazama Shohei. I'm 16 years old, and now a junior student in high school. Last year, I bought a strange plant named Hikari II, named after my sweetest Hikari-chan. Over the year, the plant has grown and helped me out with difficult situations, but once it got too big, I had to leave it at Mr. Sonoda's flower shop. I stopped feeding it life energy, its primary source of food, and it from now on eats bugs and meat like any normal Venus flytrap. Today, things were calm. Not much business, but we're still going strong._

**SOULS?**

_A sobbing Mrs. Kotsuzuka comes in the shop._

"My dog got hit by a truck and died. Can I buy some lilies?"  
>"Aww... no problem, Mrs. Kotsuzuka!" said Hikari.<br>"Thank you, dear," Mrs. Kotsuzuka said with a sniffle. "That was the 3rd dog I had this month that died."

_Hikari grabs some lilies and wraps them up._

"Thank you, that'll be 2,000 yen."  
>"Worth every penny. Have a nice day."<p>

_Mrs. Kotsuzuka receives her lilies in exchange for 2,000 yen and leaves. Shohei comes in, sweeping the floor._

"Poor old Mrs. Kotsuzuka," said Shohei. "Members of her family keep dropping like flies."  
>"Yeah, I know. It's really sad," said Hikari.<br>"Well, you two, it's 6:00 pm. It's time you two got home," said Mr. Sonoda.  
>"Not yet; we have to celebrate Hikari II's birthday," said Shohei.<br>"Yeah, it's September 23rd. One year since Shohei bought her," said Hikari.  
>"All right. Well, keep it down; I'm going to get some sleep. I need my 11 hours of sleep."<p>

_Sonoda goes upstairs to his room._

Shohei takes out a double burger and says, "I got this double burger from Burger World special for her."  
>"That's nice," said Hikari.<p>

_The two go over to the plant._

"Happy birthday, Hikari II!" the two said in unison.  
>"Eat this special birthday burger," said Shohei.<p>

_Hikari II eats the double burger in one bite._

"That was fun. Well, see you tomorrow, Shohei."  
>"G'night, Hikari."<p>

_Hikari leaves the shop. Shohei plans to leave, too, but the plant stops him._

"As delicious that burger was, I'm afraid it isn't filling enough."  
>"I bought two more just in case," said Shohei as he takes out two more double burgers. "Bottoms up."<p>

_The plant eats the double burgers._

"Nope, still not filling enough."  
>"But it has to be! They're 100% beef and 2 burgers each! And that's all you're getting."<br>"Well then, how about if I wash it down with life energy?"  
>"How about if you wash it down with water?"<p>

_Shohei waters the plant._

"I'm serious! Life energy, now!"  
>"No! Get used to your new diet!"<br>"Well if not yours, what about someone else's?"  
>"Absolutely not! G'night!"<p>

_Hikari II blows a raspberry as Shohei leaves._

* * *

><p><em>Meanwhile, Orin has finished his dental work for the day, lamenting about Akira as the other Sharks wait.<em>

"Orin-sempai, how was your day?" Piranha asks.  
>"God-awful! It's always that stupid Akira guy that comes in at the end of every day for the past 3 days! He likes the pain, and that makes me so mad!"<br>"Do you want to throw rocks as we go through the city to relieve stress?" Sango asks.  
>"Yeah. I think that'll make me feel better."<p>

_The Sharks ride into the city, throwing rocks in random places. One of the rocks Sango threw didn't hit a building, but went flying somewhere._

"Wow, good arm, Sango," said Orin.  
>"Aww, shucks!" Sango said with a blush.<p>

_Meanwhile, as Hikari walks home... POW! The rock hits her in the head, and she falls to the ground. The Sharks ride by when..._

"Hey, stop! Stop!"

_The Sharks get off their motorcycles and crowd Hikari as she regains consciousness._

"Wow, I must've knocked her out," said Sango.  
>"You fool! How could you?" said Orin.<br>"I'm sorry!"  
>Hikari gets up with a moan and says, "What happened? Who are you guys?"<br>"My God, she's got amnesia! Luck-y~!" Orin thought to himself. He then says, "Me? Well, I'm your boyfriend, Samekiba Orin, D.D.S., and you, are Hikari."  
>"You're my boyfriend?"<br>"You bet! I've saved kittens from trees, and rescued children from fires."  
>Unagi says, "No you didn't; you punt puppies over fences and-"<br>Orin nudges Unagi in the stomach and says in a hushed voice, "Shut the hell up, Unagi..."  
>"And I thought I was your girlfriend!" said a jealous Sango.<br>"Excuse me?" said Hikari.  
>"Uh, Sango means she's my best friend, who happens to be a girl, like you! But you and I are lovers, really!" said Orin.<p>

_Meanwhile, as Shohei heads home, the Sharks block his way._

"Hello, twerp, I believe I have something of yours," Orin says as he reveals Hikari clinging to him. "Your girlfriend!"  
>"Hikari!"<br>"She got amnesia and has forgotten about you, and now she's my girlfriend! See you at our future honeymoon, loser!"  
>"Isn't it great, twerp?" said Hikari. "He's a professional!"<p>

_The moment Hikari referred to Shohei as "twerp", his heart split in half. The Sharks ride off as Orin laughs maniacally. All Shohei could do is watch the Sharks ride off with a tear slipping down his face._

"Hikari-chan... "

* * *

><p><em>The next morning, Shohei is sadly sweeping the floor. Hikari comes in, still afflicted with amnesia and with a black eye.<em>

"Hikari?!"  
>Sonoda comes up to Hikari, and says, "Hi-ka-ri! Gasp! What... happened... to you?"<br>"Orin-sama did this to me because he likes me, um..."  
>"Mr. Sonoda, darling."<br>"So-no-da..."  
>"And it's me, Sho-hei!"<br>"Shohei? I can't help but take a liking to you, whoever you are, but Orin's my boyfriend and has been for 3 weeks."  
>"3 weeks?! But..." Shohei said with a sad sigh.<p>

_Later that day, work was over and Orin comes to pick up Hikari._

"Oh, Hikari~! It's time for karaoke night at the hideout!"  
>"Coming, Orin-sama!"<p>

_As they ride off, Shohei sadly watches from the window._

"I'm off to bed. You don't have to go home, but you can't stay here," said Mr. Sonoda as he ascends the staircase. "G'night."

_Shohei turns around and faces Hikari II._

"It's not fair, Two-chan. Amnesia or not, Hikari-chan deserves a prince, not a sadistic creep like that Orin."  
>"So, are you going to feed his soul to me?"<br>"Soul?"  
>"Remember when you and Hikari fed me your collective life energy? That perked me up after you refused to feed me yourself last summer! Face the facts: I'm growing up, and I need life energy in bigger quantities, so why not go and kill the Sharks, or at least Orin himself? His soul alone may keep me fed for up to 10 days as opposed to your life energy for 24 hours at the most."<br>"I don't know..."  
>"With him gone, Hikari will be yours again..."<p>

* * *

><p><em>In the still of night, Shohei sneaks inside the Sharks' hideout, and watches from behind some crates.<em>

"What a great night, huh Hikari?" Orin asked.  
>"Indeed it was, Orin-sempai!"<br>"Now how about that kiss?"

_Orin forcefully kisses Hikari on the lips, much to Shohei's disgust and Sango's jealousy. It was at that moment that Hikari regains her memories and pushes Orin off of her._

"Orin?! What's going on here?!"  
>"Don't you know where you are, honey?"<br>"Honey?! Are you still on this me being your girlfriend thing?! You are not my boyfriend!"  
>"What are you saying?!"<br>"I said, you're not my boyfriend, Shohei is! I don't know how I got here, but I'm leaving!"  
>"Like hell you are!"<p>

_Shohei watches in horror as it's implied that Orin slapped Hikari._

"Aieee! You brute! I'm still leaving! Good-bye, Samekiba Orin, D.D.S.!"

_Hikari promptly leaves._

"You want us to go get her, sempai?" Piranha asks.  
>"No..." Orin snarled. "Let her go."<br>"Good for you, Orin-sempai," said Sango, right before giving him a peck on the lips.  
>"Just leave me alone for the rest of the night, guys..."<br>"Yes sempai..." the others replied.

_As Hikari left the warehouse, Shohei gets out of his hiding place and back outside. Hikari starts crying a little._

"Shohei, where could you be? I need you now..." Hikari wept.  
>Shohei watches Hikari leave, and looks sad. He thinks to himself, "Poor Hikari... Orin is such a nasty person..." His sad expression turns into an angry one when he thinks, "Tomorrow, I'm going to the dentist's office and stab him in the heart with a knife!"<p>

* * *

><p><em>The next day at the dentists' office, Shohei waits, wearing a baseball cap, a scarf, and an orange jacket, with the knife tucked away in the pocket. All of the sudden, Akira comes out, happy about his last appointment.<em>

"Oh yeah~ That felt good! Hey, have a nice time in there! This Orin guy works wonders!"

_Akira leaves._

The nurse says, "Next? Mr..."  
>"Um... Konishi Shunsuke!"<br>"Orin will see you now."

_So, "Shunsuke" comes into Orin's room._

"Well, hi there, Shunsuke! I have one thing to ask you..." said Orin as he takes out a dental instrument. "DOES THIS SCARE YOU?!"  
>"Yes!" Shohei said as he flinched.<br>"Good, now get in the chair. Now, open wide."

_Orin checks Shohei's mouth._

"I'm disappointed. Looks like you took care of your mouth. But wait, you have a cavity!"  
>"A CAVITY?!" Shohei thought. "I knew I shouldn't have had that much candy last week!"<br>"Your sweet tooth is going to be punished now."

_Orin turns on the dental drill._

"I hope this hurts you or else it will hurt me!"

_Shohei's scream of pain could be heard from the room._

"There now, that wasn't so hard, was it?"  
>"Samekiba Orin, little do you know, that Konishi Shunsuke..." said "Shunsuke" as he reveals himself with a knife in hand, "Is Kazama Shohei!"<br>"YOU!"

_Shohei charges toward Orin with the knife, but stops abruptly._

"I... I can't do this!"  
>"If you think you're going to kill me, then you have another thing coming!"<p>

_So, Orin begins chasing Shohei. Once they left the dentist's office, Orin gets on his motorcycle and comes after him. Seconds later, the other Sharks join in on the chase. When they make it to the pier, Shohei ran out of places to run, leaving him trapped._

"Oh no!" said Shohei.  
>"We got you now, you little mouse!" said Orin.<br>"Nowhere left to run now!" said Piranha.  
>"You're all ours, hon!" said Sango.<br>"What they said!" said Unagi.

_Just as the Sharks were about to run Shohei over, he jumps out of the way, and the Sharks jump off the pier and plunge into the water. Unfortunately for Piranha and Unagi, they ironically get eaten by a huge shark, and as for Orin and Sango, the undertow has got them as they try to swim away._

"Orin-sempai, if we don't make it out alive, I just want to say... I love you."  
>"You do?! Well why didn't you say so earlier, you beautiful mermaid of a woman you! Sadly, we're stuck in the undertow, so let's give each other what I call, the Kiss of Life or Death!"<p>

_As they kiss, they sank into the sea and lose consciousness as Shohei watches in horror._

"Oh my God, what have I done?!"


	12. The Meek Shall Inherit

"Hikari II tires of eating bugs and meat, and wants to ingest more life energy, so it suggests that Shohei should kill Orin so that it can eat his soul," said Ronette.  
>"Hikari temporarily gets amnesia and Orin convinces her that he's her boyfriend," said Crystal.<br>"Shohei comes into Orin's office to kill him, but it backfires, leading to a chase and the Sharks' end at the pier as Orin and Sango confess their love for each other," said Chiffon.  
>"That was part one of the finale, and let's get commence with part 2!" the trio said in unison.<p>

**THE MEEK SHALL INHERIT**

_At the pier, it began to rain heavily. Shohei was watching as the Sharks have died. As their souls begin to rise out of the water, he runs off towards the flower shop, being chased. When Shohei arrived, he opens Hikari II's jaws as the Sharks' souls end up going in the plant's mouth to be promptly eaten._

"Mmm... Piranha's soul is too sour! Unagi's is bitter, but not bad. Sango's tastes peachy! And Orin... his soul tastes like surf and turf. Nicely done!"

_Shohei then runs off and exits the flower shop._

"What have I done? I'm a murderer!" Shohei thought to himself frantically. "I got to go talk to Hikari to get it off my chest."

_Shohei makes it to Hikari's mansion and rings the doorbell. Mrs. Momokawa answers._

"Who is it?"  
>"It's me, Kazama Shohei!"<br>"Oh, by all means, come in! Hikari really wanted to see you!"

_Shohei comes in, takes off his shoes, and sits on the couch._

"Um, M-Mrs. Momokawa, how did you feel when Hikari got amnesia and hung around with the Sharks?"  
>"Terrified! Good thing Hikari got her memories back last night and told me herself; I was worried half to death! I wouldn't let anything awful happen to my dear daughter!"<br>"... Did you say that she needed to see me?"  
>"Oh sure, she's right upstairs!"<p>

_Shohei heads to Hikari's room upstairs, and comes inside._

"Oh Shohei, I'm really happy to see you!"  
>"I'm relieved that you're okay."<br>"When I realized where I was last night, I was scared, confused, angry! I can't believe Orin tricked me! That callous monster! I have to tell you this secret: I wished that he and his gang were dead."  
>"Dead? Well..."<br>"Well, what?"  
>"This is going to be hard for me to say, but... I think your wish came true."<br>"It did? Oh my God!"  
>"Yes. Orin and the Sharks were chasing after this kid, and the kid jumped out of the way, but the Sharks plummeted into the sea. Piranha and Unagi got eaten by a huge shark..."<br>"The irony! And what about Orin and Sango?"  
>"Caught in the undertow; couldn't escape, and they kissed as they drowned."<br>"Oh my God, that's awful! I didn't wish for them to die that way! Oh Shohei!"

_Hikari hugs Shohei._

Shohei blushes and asks, "So, did you get all your memories back?"  
>"Yes. And... can we... hang out here for the rest of the day?"<br>"Of course."

_And so, Shohei and Hikari spent the rest of the day at the mansion. They talked, played games, watched a romantic movie together, etc. When the day came to an end, Shohei had to go home regardless._

"Well Hikari-chan, I hate to go home right now, but I'm sure that we will see each other tomorrow."  
>"I know, Shohei-kun. Thanks for supporting me when I needed it. I love you."<br>"I love you, too."

_The two teens kissed each other as the sun sets._

* * *

><p><em>Later that night, Shohei was back home, sound asleep in his bed. He dreams that he's at the flower shop, sweeping as usual, when the ghosts of the Sharks appear.<em>

"Shohei, you little mouse..."  
>"You did this... "<br>"You will pay... "  
>"What they said..."<br>"Oh my God..." Shohei said in fear.  
>"You've killed us!"<br>"You should be punished!"  
>"Be given the chair!"<br>"What they said!"  
>Shohei covers his ears and cries, "I don't want to hear this!"<p>

_As the ghost Sharks chastise Shohei, a giant Hikari II that was the size of a mountain eats them._

"Two-chan!"  
>Hikari II belches and says, "I have no idea how they've escaped my gullet, but they can't hurt you anymore. Though I can't say the same for your boss!"<p>

_Mr. Sonoda's unconscious body is then placed right in front of Shohei._

"Mr. Sonoda!"  
>"And with the soul of your beloved Hikari-chan, I might be the girl of your dreams!"<p>

_Hikari was bound in one of the plant's vines, struggling to get free._

"Help me, Shohei!"  
>"No, please! Don't eat her! I beg you!" Shohei cried.<p>

_Shohei wakes up to find that it's all a dream._

"A dream... all just a dream. Or is it? Hikari II will keep eating and eating until there's nothing left."

_Meanwhile at the flower shop, Mr. Sonoda was sound asleep when..._

"FEED ME!"  
>Mr. Sonoda wakes up and says, "What the?"<p>

_Mr. Sonoda goes down stairs and sees the plant, which is now 2 meters tall._

"Did that plant just..? No. No, that's just silly. Plants can't talk!"  
>"Except me..." the plant spoke.<br>"WHAA?! What do you want? And how did you get so big so fast?" asked Sonoda.  
>"I want to eat souls! Yours looks fat enough to sustain me!"<br>"How dare you make such a smart crack at my expense!"

_Just then, a robber breaks in._

"All right, don't move!" the robber shouted as he aims his gun at Mr. Sonoda. "This is a stick-up!"  
>"What do you want?!"<br>"I'm here for all the money you have! Where's the money?!"  
>"You're not getting any! It's mine!"<br>"You have 5 seconds before I shoot you in the heart, old man! 5... 4... 3... 2..."  
>"It's... it's inside the plant!"<br>"What?" said Hikari II.  
>"Thank you, sir! Heheheheh..." the robber chuckled.<p>

_The robber comes over to the plant and knocks on it._

"Hey hey, what am I, a door?!" Hikari II sasses.  
>"Did that plant just say something? Where's my money, you overgrown vegetable?" said the robber.<br>"Maybe it's in my stomach! Hop in!"

_Before the robber could escape, Hikari II grabs him with its vines and sucks his soul out, while the gun fires off as the robber screams in pain._

Mr. Sonoda was completely horrified. He says, "Dear Lord, what has Kazama bred?"

_Before Mr. Sonoda had the chance to escape, Hikari II grabs him and suck his soul out, too! The plant laughed evilly as the two corpses laid beside it._

* * *

><p><em>The next morning at the flower shop, police were there. Shohei and Hikari try to come in, but the police stop them.<em>

"Hold it, you can't go in there right now," the officer said.  
>"But we work here part time," said Shohei.<br>"Well, you can't work at the moment because we found 2 dead bodies in the shop."  
>"Dead bodies?"<br>"One was that robber we've been trying to catch, and the other was the owner."  
>"Mr. Sonoda is DEAD?!" the teens cried out in unison.<p>

_Some time later, a funeral was held in Mr. Sonoda's honor._

"Fought off a robber and died, huh?" said Daisuke. "I figured that Sonoda would die of a stroke."  
>"Daisuke, respect your elders!" Makoto scolded. "He may have been mean to Shohei and any customers that weren't pretty girls, but he doesn't deserve that insult!"<br>"I was just joking, jeez!"  
>"Well, it's not very funny!"<br>"Quiet, you guys," said Natsumi. "This is a funeral, not a baseball game."

_Mr. Chang had a few words to say._

"What can I say about my friend, Sonoda? Since we were small, we were good friends. Skipping stones, catching bugs, blah blah blah..."

_As Mr. Chang talked about his and his late friend's childhood, Shohei was beside himself, shaking._

Shohei thought to himself, "It's all my fault... it's all my fault that he died... I had no idea that this plant wanted to eat life energy; why didn't I read about Venus flytraps before I bought it?"  
>"Are you okay, Shohei?" asked Hikari.<br>"Huh? Y-yeah! I'm just mourning the loss of our boss."  
>"Well, please calm down," said Natsumi. "Mr. Chang is naming heirs now."<br>"And now, I will read inheritances. 'To my wife, who left me, you will get my jewelry. To my son and daughter, you get my collection of music, but try not to scratch the vinyl. And since Hikari suggested this, I will give my flower shop to someone that I kind of consider family despite his flaws: I give Kazama Shohei ownership of my flower shop.' Did you hear that, boy? You're one of the youngest owners of a business as of today."  
>"WHAT?! Me?" Shohei said in shock right before he faints, much to the bewilderment of his friends.<p>

* * *

><p>"In the end, Shohei has inherited Mr. Sonoda's flower shop after his death," said Ronette.<br>"The old saying 'The Meek Shall Inherit' comes into play here," said Crystal.  
>"Maybe he'll make the flower shop more fun!" said Chiffon.<br>Ronette says, "Yes, he might, Chiffon... Ahem. And soon enough, you'll find out about the plant..."  
>"And us!"<p> 


	13. Don't Feed the Plants

_Well, this is how all of this ends up. I, Kazama Shohei, a 16 year old owner of the flower shop, after my boss died at 53. I know all of you have heard my backstory before, but this is the last time I'm telling you. It all started when I bought Hikari II last year. It is revealed to eat life energy. But whenever I got tired, it'll have to make do with what any normal Venus flytrap would eat. However, when summer came, it got too big, so I left it at the flower shop. And, well, one thing lead to another. First, Orin and his gang die, and then my boss dies along with a robber. It's only a matter of time before I crack and confess to Hikari about everything..._

**DON'T FEED THE PLANTS**

_Ronette is reading a newspaper with Shohei's picture on the front page._

"So, Shohei is the owner of the deceased Sonoda's flower shop..." Ronette smiles. "Perfect."  
>"Shall we go ahead and pay him a visit?" asked Crystal.<br>"Let's!" said Chiffon.

_The next morning, Shohei wakes up, gets dressed in a sweater vest, eats breakfast, brushes his teeth, and heads to the flower shop._

"See ya later, mom!"  
>"Have a nice day, Shohei!"<p>

_When Shohei arrives at the flower shop, the trio of women were waiting for his arrival._

"Hello, Shohei. You remember me, Ronette. Crystal and Chiffon are here, too."  
>"We're here to talk to you over a banquet for something," said Crystal.<br>"It'll be held in the most expensive restaurant at 6:00 PM. Don't be late!" Chiffon said with a giggle.  
>"Bye-bye~!" the trio said in unison as they leave.<br>"Banquet?"

_Later that night at the restaurant, the women talk to a tuxedo-clad Shohei over dinner._

Shohei says as he cuts his steak, "I still don't get how you got reservations."  
>As Shohei takes a bite, Crystal says, "That's a secret."<br>"A TV station wants you to sign this contract for gardening tips," said Ronette.  
>Shohei swallows and says, "Gardening tips?"<br>"Correct. Everybody's impressed at how big your plant has gotten," said Crystal.  
>"So am I," said Shohei right before eating a bread roll.<br>"If you sign that contract, people will learn about how you raise that plant and you'll be famous!" said Chiffon. "Your girlfriend Hikari will want to marry you!"

_Upon what Chiffon just said, Shohei chokes on the bread roll, but he stops after sipping some water._

"Marry?!"  
>"Chiffon, they're still in high school; they can't marry that soon!" said Ronette.<br>"Oh, sorry!" said Chiffon.  
>Crystal said, "Speaking of Hikari, here is something you should give her, but first, sign that contract."<br>"Well, I guess I have no choice..." said Shohei.

_Shohei signs the contract._

"Good!" Ronette said.  
>"Here," said Crystal as she holds out a small box. "Give this to Hikari."<p>

_Shohei opens the box and sees a gold ring with a rainbow-colored gem._

"Wow!"  
>"That gem is made of the same material as that asteroid that broke into many pieces last year."<br>"Wait a minute! How do you know about the asteroid?"

_The women look wary._

"Kazama Shohei, the time will come when your question will be answered," said Ronette.  
>Chiffon, in an attempt to distract Shohei, says, "For now... LOOK OVER THERE, IS THAT A RACCOON-DOG?"<br>Shohei turns around. "Huh? I don't see a..."

_The women vanished._

"Bizarre..."

* * *

><p><em>And so, Shohei has risen to fame once he got his inheritance from his boss. Magazines, newspapers, you name it. His face was plastered everywhere. While all this was happening, Shohei returns to the flower shop, trips, and sees how big Hikari II has gotten. The plant was tall enough to touch the ceiling.<em>

"Oh my God!"  
>"And here he is, the young man himself, Kazama Shohei!"<p>

_Shohei then gets up and sees Hikari with a TV crew applauding._

The man said, "Shohei, can you tell us how you got your plant so big?"

_Just then, Hikari II collapses._

"Cut! Cut! What the hell happened to that leviathan of a plant you call Hikari II?!"  
>"Uh... it just needs fed."<br>"Well, feed it some plant food or bugs or whatever!"  
>"Um... it doesn't eat that stuff primarily."<br>"Well, then, let me feed it."  
>"No... not now."<p>

_As the TV crew takes pictures, Shohei becomes more overwhelmed._

"Why don't you leave me alone? Get outta here, please! Go away! LEAVE ME ALONE!"  
>"Shohei!" Hikari says as she slaps Shohei across the face. "You're acting hysterical!"<br>"Forgive me, Hikari!"

_Shohei runs off as people take more pictures._

"Everybody, please, cease photography! I need to talk to our star."

_So, Hikari goes to Shohei's house. She goes up to Shohei's bedroom door and knocks._

"C'mon, Shohei, we need to talk!"  
>"No!"<br>"Don't be rude!"  
>"All right..."<p>

_Hikari enters Shohei's room, where he is sitting on the bed in a fetal position._

"I'm in a rut. If I don't feed the plant, it'll die, and I'll lose everything, including you."  
>"Shohei, you'll never, ever lose me. I'll stay by your side, no matter what!"<br>"Well, in that case, I suppose I'll give you something that I got from those 3 women with the contract. Here."

_Shohei gives Hikari the box. She opens the box and sees the ring._

"It's... it's beautiful! Oh Shohei!"  
>"I just want you to know that I love you so much."<br>"Aww, that's sweet! Well, it's getting late, so I have to go. See you later!" said Hikari as she blows a kiss at Shohei.  
>"See ya!"<p>

* * *

><p><em>Later that day, the sun was setting. Shohei was flipping the sign at the flower shop to "CLOSE".<em>

"That's the end of the day. But not of the shop..." said Shohei.  
>"Feed me..." said Hikari II.<br>"Under no circumstances."  
>"But..."<br>"No buts! Quit asking!"  
>"Aww, c'mon!"<br>"Absolutely not! I've endured enough regret doing that!"  
>"Baka-Shohei..." Hikari II grumbled.<br>"Okay, fine! I'll go get some steak!"  
>Hikari II crosses its vines and says, "Don't do me any favors."<br>"This is my last offer; do you want it?" asked Shohei.  
>"You sure do drive a hard bargain."<br>"Fine, that's fine!" said Shohei right before he leaves.  
>"Ha ha ha, now that he's out of the way, it's time to make a phone call."<p>

_Hikari II extends its vines to call on the phone._

"Kazama, you fool. I've watched you call a certain someone so many times that I practically memorize the number."

_Meanwhile at the Momokawas' mansion, the phone rang and Hikari answers it._

"Hello, Momokawa residence!"  
>"Hikari, this is your father."<br>"Daddy? But we thought you died!"  
>"Come to the flower shop and I'll tell you how I survived."<br>"Should I...?"  
>"Go!"<p>

_Hikari arrives at the flower shop and goes inside._

"Daddy?"  
>"Sorry, wrong number!" Hikari II said.<br>"Whoever you are, that was a cruel trick!"  
>"Hello, Hikari!"<br>"Oh my God~! Hikari II!? She can talk?! I must be dreaming!"  
>"Nope, and it's not Hatsuyume, either. I called you because my vines are becoming dry. Feel."<p>

_Hikari feels the plant's vines._

"Goodness, they sure are! I'll go get you some water."

_Hikari grabs the watering can and goes over to the plant._

"Here we go."  
>"Gladly."<p>

_Hikari II restrains Hikari with her vines._

"Aah! What... what are you doing?!"  
>"Hikari, Hikari, Hikari... you don't get it. I fed on Shohei's life energy. Every time that he fed me, I grew bigger and stronger. Hell, eating the souls of the Sharks, that robber, and the fat guy have given me a significant boost."<br>"Gasp! So that must mean..."  
>"Yes! And now, it is your turn!"<p>

_Hikari can only struggle to escape. As Hikari II opens its maw wide, Hikari screams in sheer terror. Luckily, Shohei heard it and bolted into the shop._

"STOP!"

_Hikari II pauses._

"Put her down!"  
>"It's too late! If you can't give me a soul, then I'll take that of your beloved Hikari-chan!"<br>"Please, no! You don't want her soul! Take mine instead."  
>"Shohei, no!" Hikari cried.<p>

_Hikari II puts Hikari down._

"If you're stupid enough to risk your life saving her, then go ahead."  
>"Shohei... You don't have to do this!" Hikari objects with tears in her eyes.<br>"I have to. Goodbye, and I'll always love you," Shohei says as he gives Hikari one last peck. He turns around and shouts, "All right, Hikari II, come and get me!"

_Hikari II proceeds to open its huge maw, granting it the ability to suck Shohei's soul out of his body, through his agape mouth. Once that was done, Shohei's eyes and mouth close and his lifeless body collapses to the floor._

"No... No! SHOHEI~!"

_Hikari picks up the body and cradles it in her arms._

"Shohei-kun... " Hikari says as she breaks down crying over her lost love.

* * *

><p><em>Meanwhile, inside a strange, dark green area presumed to be the inside of Hikari II's stomach, Shohei's soul awakens inside.<em>

"Huh? This must be the inside of Hikari II."  
>"Kazama!"<br>"Aah! A ghost! Wait, Mr. Sonoda, is that you?"  
>"How could you do all of this?!"<br>"I'm so sorry, Mr. Sonoda. I just wanted to win Hikari's heart..."  
>"I understand. I would've done the same thing to win a pretty girl's heart. However, that wasn't necessarily how I won my ex-wife's heart, but that's another story."<br>Orin said, "You know what, you little mouse? You've got spunk. You've made me see the error of my ways. Maybe I can get into Heaven and see my mama again."  
>"If it wasn't for you, I wouldn't have confessed my feelings for Orin-sempai," said Sango.<br>"We were jerks, and this is the karma that has bound us inside the plant," said Piranha.  
>"I believe my friends have summed up my thoughts," said Unagi.<br>"I was tired of running away from authority anyway," the robber said.  
>"Because of me, all of us are trapped inside for eternity," said Shohei.<br>"Not quite."

_The voice came from Ronette, who speaks to Shohei telepathically._

"You still have a chance to free yourself and everyone else from Hikari II before its digestion phase."  
>"Digestion phase?" said Shohei.<br>"You see, it was a life-form that was born on that asteroid and fused with the plant. Its species only eats life energy. However, when its species eats souls, their stomachs will proceed to digest them after at least one has been contained for no longer than a fortnight. Unfortunately, the process begins right now."

_The weird polyps inside the plant begin to ooze with corrosive acid and start to flood the interior of the stomach. It manages to digest the lower half of the robber's body._

"YEOW! This is the most painful feeling ever!"  
>"Oh no! What'll we do now?!" Shohei cried.<br>"Leave that to us," said Ronette.

_Meanwhile, a grief-stricken Hikari is on top of the building, getting ready to jump, when..._

"Hikari... Hikari... don't jump!"  
>"Huh? Who's there?" Hikari asks as she wipes away some tears.<p>

_Ronette, Crystal and Chiffon appear before Hikari, who steps down from the ledge._

"Hikari, you must use that ring Shohei gave you," said Ronette.  
>"How... how do you know about the ring?"<br>"Well, the truth is, me, Crystal, and Chiffon are from another galaxy, and tracked the asteroid, which both Hikari II and the gem in your ring came from. But that's not all. You and Shohei both had a past together."  
>"A past?"<br>"Yes. Many years ago, your names were Seymour and Audrey, and you were both in love with each other, but had trouble admitting it wholeheartedly."  
>Chiffon explains, "For the same reasons as Shohei, Seymour bought a strange plant, which was a similar species to Hikari II, except that instead of life energy, Audrey II ate blood."<br>"Your past lives, while different from your current lives, were similar, but when Audrey II got to the size that Hikari II is now, it ate you, and then Seymour, and took over America. Ronette, Chiffon, and I had to take off our disguises and defeat the plant, as well as reincarnate you and Shohei into what you two are now, but with what we hoped for as a better life..."  
>"I... I can't believe it..." Hikari muttered.<br>Ronette said, "Now that you know the truth, there is only one way to weaken plants like these: use the power that lies in the ring."  
>"Okay."<p>

_Suddenly, Hikari II grows large enough to bust through the roof and grabs Hikari with its vines._

"You know, little 'Hikari-chan', your beloved Shohei's soul was the best food I've had because his life energy was my first meal. Since he loves you so much, I guess I'll have your soul for dessert!"  
>"You monster..." Hikari seethed. "YOU DESPICABLE GREEN MONSTER!"<p>

_Hikari struggles to aim her clenched fist at Hikari II, in which, the ring shoots a rainbow-colored beam at the plant, weakening it._

"Aagh! That power... it's that damn asteroid!"

_Meanwhile, inside Hikari II's stomach..._

"Now, everyone! Here's your chance! Escape!" Shohei commanded.

_Everybody gathers and surges out of Hikari II._

"No! NO!" Hikari II screamed.  
>"You've been a very bad plant, Hikari II," said Shohei. "And now, it's time for you to wilt. CHARGE!"<p>

_The souls, led by Shohei, charge at Hikari II at full force, destroying not only the plant, but the flower shop, too. Hikari is rescued by Shohei's spirit at the last second. The plant was reduced to an iridescent seed that Crystal picks up._

"Shohei-kun! You're all right!" Hikari cried.  
>"Not just yet."<p>

_Shohei's soul re-enters his body and gets back on his feet._

"Now I'm all right."  
>"Kazama- no, Shohei! Thank you for saving us," said Mr. Sonoda. "But now, we must pass on to the other side. Farewell."<br>"See you some other time," said Orin.  
>"Bye, hon," said Sango.<br>"Good-bye," said Piranha.  
>"Bye-bye!" said Unagi.<p>

_The souls of the deceased victims fly off into the horizon as Shohei, Hikari, and the women watch._

"You have saved Tokyo, both of you," said Ronette.  
>"You two love each other so much that it saved us all," said Crystal.<br>"Don't worry about the shop; we'll fix it up!" said Chiffon.  
>"Thank you so much! Sayonara~!" the trio said in unison.<p>

_Shohei and Hikari then head home._

"Hikari-chan, I'm so sorry for keeping that awful secret for so long."  
>"It's all right now. You didn't need Hikari II to impress me. After all, I've always loved you since the day we met. And everybody is happy now."<br>"Including us."

_And so, Shohei and Hikari hold each other tight and kiss._

**THE END**


End file.
